Heartbroken
by RegalStarlight
Summary: Robin is kidnapped by the Queens of Darkness, who take him back to Storybrooke and plan to use him against Regina. With his heart in their hands, how far will Regina go to save the man she loves? Can villains have happy endings, or is history doomed to repeat itself? Outlaw Queen.
1. Chapter 1

Six weeks had passed.

Six weeks, and yet the taste of Regina's lips upon his had not faded. Six weeks, and yet he still saw her smile every time he closed his eyes and smelled the fresh, sweet scent of her apple shampoo in the loft apartment he shared with his wife and son.

He should move on. That much he realized. Crossing the town line was permanent, and as much as he wished to, he knew he could never go back. Regina wouldn't want him to live his life in constant pain; she would want him to heal and be happy. But how could he, when she was always on his mind?

He worked a low-level retail job at a store selling sporting goods and camping equipment. Dealing with obnoxious customers who thought they were always right was not exactly his preferred way of surviving, but Regina had warned him against living as an outlaw in this new land.

"You'll want to keep a low profile," she had said. "I'm sending you across to help Marian, and you can't do that if you're in jail. Anyway, you don't have a social security number or any legal identity in this world, and that could prove tricky if you got into trouble with the law."

So here he was, the Prince of Thieves working for minimum wage and trying to sell poorly-made tents and camping gear to some of the most obnoxious people he had ever crossed paths with. One family in particular was getting on his last nerve, with a mother and father who wouldn't stop screaming at each other, a teenage daughter who knocked over an entire rack of fishing poles because she was too busy staring at the screen of the strange talking device she carried, and a young son who ran up and down the aisles, singing off-key at the top of his lungs. It certainly didn't help that it was already fifteen minutes past closing time, or that Roland had discovered Disney movies the day before.

_"__Look, daddy! It's you and mama!" he had said, holding up a DVD case. On the cover …_

_"__Wh – why on earth are we foxes?" Robin stammered, looking from the box to Marian and back. "What exactly is this?"_

_"__Apparently the people here think we're all just stories," said Marian. "I picked up a few of these for Roland today. I'm not quite sure how to use them, though …"_

_Robin smiled for a moment at the memory of Regina showing him how to use a TV for the first time, but his smile vanished as he caught sight of another of the DVDs._

_"__Snow White?" he asked, reaching for it. On the cover was a girl with pale skin and dark hair who, he supposed, looked a bit like the Snow he knew. But the other woman on the cover … well, she looked nothing at all like Regina. A lump formed in his throat as he dropped it on the table._

_"__Oh … I'm so sorry, I didn't think …"_

_"__No, it's okay," said Robin, forcing a smile._

_But of course it wasn't. Because if there was anything worse than knowing you would never see the woman you loved again, it was seeing a completely inaccurate version of the woman you loved as the villain of a children's cartoon and knowing it was the closest you would ever come to being near her again._

"Yes, thank you very much," Robin said as the obnoxious family left the store, putting as much hostility into his polite words as he could. "Do come again soon."

Six weeks of this job and he was already at his wits' end. Maybe it was time to steal one of these tents and go live in the woods with just his wife and son for company. Or better yet, find a way back to Storybrooke. As if that was ever going to happen.

"See you tomorrow, then?" one of his coworkers, a college boy named Caleb Brown, asked as they closed up the store.

"No, it's my day off," replied Robin.

"Oh, well, Tuesday then."

The lock slid into place. Finally the store was closed, and he could go home and try to pretend that a piece of his heart wasn't missing.

Suddenly, a movement in the corner of his eye caught Robin's attention.

"Watch out!" he cried out instinctively as a woman stepped out from the shadows.

She looked perfectly normal at first glance, a black woman with a weary, disgruntled expression on her face. For a moment, Robin thought that his years as outlaw had gone to his head, making him imagine danger around every corner. But then she spoke.

"This is him?"

"Indeed."

Now that voice, Robin knew.

"Can we get this over with?" a woman with a British accent asked, stepping out from around the corner. One half of her hair was white and the other half black, and she wore an enormous fur coat over an all-black outfit. Robin thought he recognized her from one of his son's new cartoons, but he couldn't quite place her.

"Rumplestiltskin," said Robin, speaking to the man who still lurked in the shadows of the alleyway. "What are you doing here?"

"Haven't you heard? I was thrown out of Storybrooke. Villains don't get happy endings, dearie. But don't worry, we're going to change that."

"Who a-are you people?"

Robin had almost forgotten that Caleb was still there.

"That doesn't matter," he said, turning to face his young coworker. "Run!"

Caleb didn't hesitate.

"He's heard too much," said the woman with the black and white hair, moving to follow him. "We should deal with him."

"No," said Robin, blocking her path. "Please, let him go. He's just an innocent."

"It's not worth the effort," said the other woman. "We have what we wanted."

"What do you want with me?" Robin Hood demanded, eyeing the trio suspiciously.

"That, dearie, is our business. Just know that you're going to come with us, and you're going to do it without a fuss."

"And why exactly would I do that?"

Rumplestiltskin smiled.

"Because we both want the same thing."

"Do we, now?"

"Indeed we do. It's time for villains to get their happy endings."

Robin took a step backwards, a horrifying realization dawning.

"That's what this is about," he said. "Regina. You're … you're going to use me to try to get to her?"

"Well, aren't you a clever one?" said the woman in the fur coat mockingly.

"No!" he shouted. "Whatever you're doing, leave her out of it!"

"Quiet down," said the dark-skinned woman. "We don't want to be bothered by the police."

Robin took another step backwards, but she caught him by the arm, pulling him back into the dark alleyway. Before he knew what was happening, she had a knife pressed into his throat.

"Let me go!"

"Not going to happen."

"Now, now, Ursula," said the woman in the fur coat. "I'm sure our friend here will cooperate. After all, we wouldn't want to have to hurt his lovely wife and sweet little son, now, would we?"

"You leave them alone!"

Rumplestiltskin took a step closer.

"How about this? I'll make you a deal. You come with us and do exactly what we tell you, and we'll let your little family live. How does that sound?"

His tone was deceptively gentle, but Robin knew that his offer was a threat. Cooperate, or Marian and Roland would be killed.

"You won't harm them," he said in a shaky voice. "You won't tell someone else to harm them, you won't do anything that might lead to them getting hurt. None of those loopholes you're so fond of. I want you to guarantee that you'll leave them alone."

A strange smile crept across the other man's impish face. If Robin didn't know better, he might even say Rumplestiltskin looked impressed.

"You have my word."

"Then let's get this over with."


	2. Chapter 2

They bound his hands with rope that cut and chaffed at his wrists and pushed him roughly into the backseat of an old-fashioned black-and-white car with darkened windows and a license plate that read "DE VIL". The woman with the knife – what had the other one called her? Ursula? – sat beside him and threatened that she would gut him like a fish if he tried anything. He had no doubt she was telling the truth.

The woman in the fur coat was driving, if you could call it that, what she was doing. Robin had only been in this land a short time, but he was fairly sure that the car was supposed to stay _on_ the road.

"Cruella, dearie, why don't you let me take the wheel?" Rumplestiltskin suggested.

"Why on earth would I do that? It's my car."

"Um, maybe because we want to get to this Storybrooke place alive," said Ursula. "Just a thought."

Robin shifted uncomfortably in his seat as the car swerved in and out of traffic.

"Watch out!" Ursula called out as they zoomed past a red light. She let out a groan. "Yeah, it's two against one, honey. Rumple's driving."

"Make that three," muttered Robin, clenching his jaw as Cruella slammed on the brakes.

"Shut up!" she shouted from the front seat.

"What, I don't get a vote, then?" Robin asked mockingly. The only reply was a harsh laugh.

"Oh, just get out from behind the wheel," Ursula snapped. "Before we end up dead on the side of the road."

Robin groaned. This was going to be a long trip.

* * *

"It should be here," Rumplestiltskin muttered, pulling the car over to the side of the road. He opened the door and stepped out into the street.

Cruella followed quickly, no doubt hoping to find herself back in the driver's seat, ordering Ursula to "make sure our guest stays put". Robin craned his neck, trying to watch and see what they were doing, but Ursula pulled him back down away from the window and held her knife threateningly. Escape plans formed in his mind, but he knew he had to be cautious. He had bargained for Roland and Marian's lives, and going back on a deal with the Dark One was not something to be done lightly.

Another thought formed in the back of his mind. Perhaps he wasn't only trying to protect his family. Perhaps the thought of returning to Storybrooke was not so horrible after all. But he pushed the thought away. These people weren't bringing him back with good intentions, and he would rather die than be used to bring still more pain to the woman he loved.

Rumplestiltskin slid back into the driver's seat, and Robin breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wouldn't be subjected to Cruella's horrible driving. It was nothing in the face of his current situation, but still, it was something.

"We should be able to cross," Rumplestiltskin said.

"No one can cross that line," said Robin. "What did you do?"

"Nothing that concerns you," replied the Dark One icily as he stepped on the gas.

The car jolted forward, and a spray-painted line appeared across the road ahead. They were back.

* * *

Six weeks had passed.

Six weeks, and yet she still cried herself to sleep every night and woke up alone every morning, visions of the town line lingering in her mind – or worse, bittersweet memories of wedding vows and honeymoon dances. The chipped cup sat on the shelf in the pawn shop, a relic of the past that she knew she could never bring herself to part with.

She had done the right thing. She knew that. So why did it hurt so badly?

The bell on the door to the pawn shop let out a faint chime. Belle's breath caught in her throat as she caught sight of the man in the doorway, a man with a cane in a suit that was now crumpled and dirty.

"Rumple …"

"Belle."

As he approached, she backed away, putting the counter between herself and her estranged husband.

"No, no … don't be afraid," he said in the gentle tone he reserved only for her. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"How are you here at all?" Belle asked suspiciously. "Crossing the town line is a one-way trip. You shouldn't have been able to come back."

Rumple shrugged.

"The spell must have been wearing off, I guess," he said. "But Belle … we need to talk."

"No, we don't!" she said, all the anger she had felt before returning. "We needed to talk a long time ago. We're past talking now!"

"Belle …" he reached for her hand, but she snatched it away.

"Get out."

Tears filled his eyes, and she felt a knot form in her stomach.

"Belle, we can fix this," he said. "I know now that I need to find the author. That's why everything keeps going wrong for us … villains don't get happy endings, Belle. But we can find him and force him to change that. We can."

She shook her head tearfully.

"It's not the author, Rumple. It's you. Please. Just go."

He sighed and turned to leave, but then paused, his face crumpling into a sad smile as he approached one of the shelves and gently picked up a small, broken item that nearly anyone would consider worthless.

"You still have it," he murmured, holding the teacup in trembling hands. "Our chipped cup."

"Yes," Belle replied, a tear trickling from the corner of her eye.

"Please, Belle, give me another chance," he said. "We can have our happy ending."

Belle shook her head, wishing with her whole heart that she could say yes. But it was too late for that.

"There is no happy ending for us."

* * *

_"The young Queen fled from the tavern, turning her back forever on her last chance for happiness. The man with the lion tattoo took another swig of ale, never knowing she was there. Her heart was darkened as she chose evil over love. She had made her decision."_

"Wow, this book sure doesn't pull any punches, does it?"

"No, Miss Swan, it doesn't," said Regina, slamming the storybook shut as Emma's voice brought her back from the tavern to the dimly-lit vault. "Nor does its author. At least, not for those he sees as villains."

Emma smiled sadly.

"We're going to find him, Regina," she said. "You deserve your happy ending."

Regina just sighed and raised an eyebrow.

"You really think it's going to be that easy?"

"Honestly?" Emma said, resting her chin on her hand. "I think that if you're right about this author, he must be a complete idiot. I mean, after everything you've done to change, if he still thinks you're a villain …"

"It would appear his idea of heroes and villain is …"

"Total BS?"

"I was going to say completely black and white," Regina replied.

"Yeah. That too," said Emma.

Suddenly, a loud ringing broke through the quiet of the vault. Emma dug in the pocket of her jacket for her phone.

"Hello? … Belle? What's wrong? … WHAT!?" Emma sputtered. "How is that even possible?"

The muffled voice on the other end said something. Regina thought she could make out the words "Rumple" and "happy ending".

"All right, I'm on my way now," Emma said.

Punching the "end call button on her phone, she turned to Regina.

"It looks like Gold is back," she said "I've got to go take care of this."

"Of course," Regina said with a sigh.

Emma hesitated.

"You know …" she said. "If you want to, I could really use your help."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a cabin deep in the woods of Storybrooke, the Queens of Darkness sat plotting, while a man with a lion tattoo struggled to free himself from the ropes that bound him.

"The pieces are in place," said Rumplestiltskin. "It's time to begin the game."


	3. Chapter 3

As it turned out, Belle didn't know much more than what she had said over the phone: her estranged and supposedly banished husband had suddenly reappeared, walked into the pawn shop, and asked her for a second – no, a millionth chance.

"But did he give any indication of what he's doing? What his plans are?" asked Emma impatiently.

Belle shook her head despondently.

"He just said something about finding an author …"

Emma exchanged a glance with Regina, who cringed internally at the memory of telling Rumple her plan. But a voice in the back of her mind said that maybe this wasn't such a bad thing. If the town line was open again, if Rumple had been able to cross, then maybe …

No. She wasn't going to give herself false hope, not again.

"Well, whatever he's up to, we'll stop him," she said. "But we need to find him first. Give me something of his and I'll try a locator spell."

Belle nodded solemnly and slipped away into the backroom. When she was gone, Emma spoke:

"You know what this means, right?"

"I don't want to talk about Robin Hood."

Emma blinked in confusion for a moment before a look of comprehension dawned on her face.

"Oh … you think he can come back now?"

"Like I said, we're not discussing him," Regina snapped, turning away.

"Right. Well, what I meant is, Gold is looking for the author too."

"I noticed," Regina said sharply. "And before you ask, yes, he got the idea from me."

_Always the villain,_ she thought. _What should I have expected?_

Of course he would take her idea and use if for his own ends. Of course he would try to take his own happy ending. And without her, without what she had told him, he wouldn't even know. If anything happened, did that make it her fault?

Belle emerged from behind the curtain, holding a man's tie in a deep shade of navy blue.

"Here," she said, placing it on the counter along with a small bottle of shimmering blue liquid.

"That's his?" Regina asked.

Belle nodded, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"When you find him …"

But Regina cut her off.

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you," she said. "We'll do whatever we have to, and if that means putting the greater good first, then so be it. You of all people should understand that."

Belle turned away, a shadow crossing her face.

"If it makes you feel better, neither of us wants to become the Dark One."

"Just go. Do what you have to, protect the town, but … don't hurt him if you don't have to. Please."

"We'll do our best," Emma assured her.

Regina poured the potion over the tie, and it rose into the air, hovering for a moment before it started to float away like a leaf in the wind. The two women hurried to follow it.

* * *

"They're coming."

"They?" demanded Rumplestiltskin. "Who?"

"The Savior and the Evil Queen," said Ursula, staring at the image in the mirror.

"Well, that wasn't part of the plan," said Rumple impatiently. "We need to speak with Regina alone."

Cruella let out a harsh laugh.

"Oh, don't worry," she said. "I'll take care of the Savior."

Pulling out her phone, she dialed Emma's number.

"Hello. Is this Sheriff Swan?" she asked in her best imitation of a concerned citizen. "I'm down by the pharmacy, and we need your help. There's some sort of a … disturbance. Yes, it's very urgent, get down here immediately. Thank you so much."

Ursula looked over her shoulder at the other woman and raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on at the pharmacy?" she asked.

"Nothing yet," said Cruella carelessly. "But there will be by the time our dear Sheriff gets there."

* * *

Emma arrived on the scene just in time to see a woman in a fur coat standing outside the newly-shattered window of the pharmacy. She recognized her instantly.

"Cruella de Vil."

"Well, aren't you clever?" said Cruella in a mocking tone.

"Don't move," she ordered, pulling out her gun and aiming it at the strange but familiar woman.

"I'd be careful with that if I were you," said Cruella, gesturing toward the crowd of bystanders emerging, wide-eyed, from the nearby building. "You wouldn't want to hit one of them by mistake, now, would you?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Emma demanded, glaring at the woman in the furs.

"Why, I was just going about my own business, running errands and such, when all of a sudden, a horrible wolf crashed through that window over there. What makes you think I had anything to do with this?"

Emma blinked. "Because you're …"

"A villain?"

Cruella came closer, her high heels clip-clopping against the pavement, looking Emma in the eye as if daring her to shoot.

"Are you really so blind?" she asked. "You think you can judge me on no other basis than what some storybook says? I thought villains in this town were given second chances. Or does that only apply to your pirate boyfriend and the Evil Queen?"

Cruella's face was only inches away from Emma's now. Emma's mind was in a whirl. It was true enough that she was dating Captain Hook and trying to help the Evil Queen find her happy ending. And wasn't it just six weeks since the Snow Queen's remorse had saved them all? Emma knew better than most that the difference between hero and villain was a blurred line that wasn't impossible to cross. But she wasn't that gullible. Just because Cruella de Vil had shown up claiming to be an innocent bystander didn't mean that Emma was going to assume she was telling the truth.

* * *

After Emma left to deal with the latest crisis – at Regina's insistence that she had to do her job – Regina rolled her eyes and trudged on after the floating necktie. It led her through the woods, where she cursed the fact that she was wearing heels but stubbornly refused to change them with magic. After all, what was a hike in heels to someone who had once dug in the woods in a short skirt and charged into battle in cleavage-revealing armor?

Her search led her to a spacious log cabin deep in the woods that she recognized at once as belonging to Mr. Gold.

"So he's not hiding …" Regina muttered to herself, as she cautiously approached the door, expecting a trap. But the door opened easily, and from the room inside, a familiar man rose to greet her.

"Hello, dearie."

Regina took a step back instinctively.

"Well, don't be rude and stand there in the doorway," said Rumple, hobbling forward with his cane. "Come in, come in."

Regina hesitantly stepped over the threshold and into the cabin. It looked almost exactly as it had in years past, but of course everything was different now. Out of the corner of her eye, Regina caught sight of an unfamiliar woman sitting by the fire.

"Who are you?" she blurted out.

"We've met before," replied the stranger. "Although I'm not surprised you don't remember. A lot's changed since you impersonated me."

A chill ran through the former Evil Queen as the memory resurfaced. Stony tentacles wrapped around her, choking her. A voice … _"Next time you try impersonating me, you'll find out just how real I am."_ She shuddered.

"Ursula. The sea goddess."

The other woman laughed.

"Some people call me that. Others call me a witch."

For a moment, an amused smile curled the corners of Regina's mouth before she caught herself, putting on a steely expression as she turned back to her former mentor.

"All right, Rumple, cards on the table," she said harshly. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged, gesturing vaguely with his arms and tilting his head, with a smirk forming on his face.

"Given what's happening lately, I've decided that your author theory may not be so ridiculous after all," he said. "So I've gathered a few old friends to track him down and force him to give us our happy endings. We could use your help, if you'd be willing."

Regina stared at him skeptically. A voice in the back of his mind whispered that the Dark One and the Sea Witch might be useful allies in her quest to find the author. But no, she couldn't listen to that voice. This wasn't like getting help from Emma and Henry. She couldn't ally herself with those who were still villains – otherwise, how was she any different?

"Who are these old friends?" she asked. Rumple smiled in response.

"Well, I see you've already met Ursula," he said. "And I've brought another of my old students back with me, Cruella de Vil. I don't believe you know her yet. And we're hoping to revive Maleficent."

Regina's eyes widened as his meaning sunk in. Maleficent. Her friend. Her friend who she had betrayed. Who she had trapped in another form. Whose death she had helped bring about. A part of her yearned for her old friend, but a bigger part – the part that had learned hatred and revenge, that knew love only as weakness, the part of her that had known Maleficent – panicked at the thought.

"We'll need your help for that," Rumple continued. "That is, if you'll help us."

Regina didn't hesitate this time; she shook her head emphatically.

"No?" Ursula demanded. "Why not? We're all on the same side, aren't we? Our interests are aligned perfectly."

"Our interests are aligned?" Regina said, almost laughing. The familiar phrase felt odd to her. Like looking down after the Spell of Shattered Sight was lifted and realizing she was dressed in one of the elaborate gowns she had worn as Queen. It was part of her past, but it wasn't quite right anymore.

"Villains don't get happy endings," Ursula said. "But we can change that. Together."

Regina shook her head again.

"No. I want my happy ending, but …" she hesitated. "Not like this. I don't want to be a villain anymore."

Rumple snickered under his breath as she spoke.

"What?" she demanded, glaring at him.

"I thought you might say that," he said. "You were quite insistent the last time we spoke. Something about 'that's no longer me'. But don't worry. I have something that just might change your mind."

As he spoke, his face morphed into a sinister grin that reminded Regina of the man she had known in the time before the curse.

"What?" she asked. "What could you possibly have that would make me give up on the person I want to be?"

Rumple turned to Ursula, who seemed to take this as some kind of a hint and slipped quietly out of the room.

"You see, I didn't make two stops on my way here," Rumple explained, turning back to Regina. "I made three."

She stared at him, trying to discern the truth in his impish eyes, but he simply stared back as if to tell her that she should already know. An awful thought crept up in her mind, all the more terrible because a part of her almost wanted it to be true.

A man was pushed into the room, where he fell to the floor and struggled with bound wrists to push himself into a sitting position. He looked up at Regina, familiar blue eyes full of fear.

Robin.

* * *

The people at the pharmacy all told the same story: they had been going about their business when all of a sudden, a huge wolf had barged in through one of the windows, shattering it but apparently emerging unharmed, trampled through the store, snarled at a few people, knocked over a few shelves of items, and disappeared right back out the broken window.

There were little variations, of course. One man (who didn't even have a scratch on him) declared that the wolf had nearly killed him and that he was lucky to have fought it off, but his wife laughed at that and informed Emma that he had screamed and climbed on top of a display table to get away from the wolf when it came charging past. A little girl, maybe five years old, insisted that the wolf was as big as an elephant. A very confused woman commented that it wasn't supposed to be wolf's time for another week.

But Emma didn't suspect that Ruby had anything to do with this. No, the person she suspected most was Cruella de Vil. She knew the woman had been lying when she said she was simply running errands. Her lie detector might not be infallible, but she wasn't that stupid. And with several people describing a white wolf with black markings – a description that immediately brought to mind Cruella's black and white hair and the coat she wore – a bizarre thought flickered in Emma's mind. But no, that would be crazy.

Then again, how many times had her idea of crazy appeared walking down Main Street and threatening to take over the town?

Either way, her gut told her that this woman was up to something.

But there was no evidence. No one recognized Cruella or made any mention of a woman in a fur coat. As far as Emma could prove, she had simply been passing by and witnessed the wolf's attack. And as much as she hated to admit it, the other woman was right: she couldn't arrest her just for being a villain from a kids' story, when the evidence that she had committed a crime was circumstantial at best. Not when she remembered the last time she had done more or less that very thing.

_"__You can pretend all you want, but we know how you are, and who you will always be!"_

With a frustrated sigh, she turned to Cruella:

"It looks like I can't prove you did anything wrong," she said. "So you're free to go."

The other woman smiled lazily, as if she had known all along that Emma wouldn't be able to pin it on her. Emma scowled. Something about this woman got under her skin.

"But I'm warning you," she said fiercely. "You had better be on your best behavior, because if I find out you're stealing people's puppies or whatever it is you do …"

Cruella simply laughed. Emma gritted her teeth as she turned and walked away. She _really_ did not like this woman.

* * *

"Robin!"

Regina was beside him in an instant, but a powerful force pushed her backwards, pinning her against the wall.

"Not so fast, dearie."

"Let him go!" Regina ordered. "He has nothing to do with this."

"Oh, I know that," said Rumple nonchalantly. As he waved his hand, Robin was pulled to his feet. "He has no value to us at all. But to you …"

With a sinister smile, he thrust his hand forward into Robin's chest and pulled out his heart, red and pulsing in the dim light of the cabin.

"NO!"

Memories surged through Regina's mind, as vivid as if they here happening right at this very moment. Because they were. It was happening all over again, just like before. No, not again. Please. Don't take him, don't hurt him, don't let it happen again, not like …

"Like your stable boy."

Had she spoken aloud? She must have, because now she was sobbing, begging for Robin's life.

"Please …"

Her former mentor was at her side in an instant, touching her arm almost in a caress, and whispering to her with his mouth an inch from her ear. If she didn't know better, she would say his tone was almost gentle.

"I don't have to," he breathed. "And I won't, not as long as you cooperate. I told you I wanted you to have a happy ending, and I do. We can all have our happy endings, if we work together. Just do as I say, and I won't hurt him."

Regina pulled away from his touch and reached for Robin's heart, but her fingers closed around empty air as Rumple, and the heart with him, disappeared into a puff of smoke. From the other side of the room, he called out to her.

"What will it be, dearie?"

His grip tightened against the pulsing heart in his hand, and Robin let out a cry of pain, falling to his knees and grabbing his chest as if doing so could stop the agony. She caught him as he fell, memories flashing through her mind. She was here with Robin, but she was also on the straw-covered dirt floor of the stables, holding Daniel's lifeless body and trying in vain to kiss him back to life. She looked up in terror, half expecting to see another heart crushed to dust, but it still beat in Rumplestiltskin's grasp.

"Don't hurt him," she sobbed. "Please. I'll do whatever you want."

Robin was breathing more easily now as Rumple's grip on his heart loosened.

"That's all I needed to hear."

* * *

The author flipped through the fresh pages with a satisfied smile on his face. The Evil Queen had taken the path he knew she would. She was back in her rightful place with the Queens of Darkness, those who dwelt in the shadows and would never deserve to walk in the light.

Redemption was futile. No one could escape their destiny, not even the endlessly stubborn Evil Queen.

* * *

**A/N:** to everyone who's read and reviewed, thank you so much!

By the way, I also have a Tumblr, so feel free to follow me there if you like. My url is starlightspecter.


	4. Chapter 4

The Charmings didn't know. That had been one of Rumple's stipulations; she couldn't say a word if she wanted Robin to live. Her heart sank like a rock as she thought of what they would say when they found out. She could already see their faces in her mind, full of betrayal, but not surprise. After all, what could you expect from the Evil Queen?

She had to find a way to free him. Either by stealing back his heart, or – as much as the thought made her stomach turn – making some kind of deal with Rumple. If she could get his heart back inside of him, she could protect him. Surely the author would allow that. After all, villains might not get happy endings, but Robin was a hero, and things always worked out for them.

No, not always, she thought grimly. She knew all too well that good people often met terrible ends. She had known that long before she had been the cause of it, when her world had been divided not into heroes and villains, but into sheep and wolves. If being good was all it took to live happily ever after, then Daniel would never have died.

Maybe she should tell the truth, Rumplestiltskin's orders be damned. But as she picked up her phone and began to dial Emma's number, a terrible thought crept up on her. Daniel had died because someone didn't know when to keep her mouth shut. If the same thing happened to Robin …

"Hello?"

Regina jumped, having almost forgotten that she was holding her phone up to her ear.

"Ms. Swan," she said. "I'm sorry, I … didn't mean to call you."

"No, we should talk. What did you find out today?"

"Nothing."

"Well, it can't be nothing. Is Mr. Gold back?"

"Yes, Ms. Swan, he is. But as for what he's up to … I'm afraid I can't say."

Emma was silent for a long time.

"Regina, is everything all right?"

"Yes. Everything is fine."

With tears in her eyes, she punched the "END" button.

* * *

Henry knew his mom was acting weird. You didn't live with someone nearly all your life without learning to recognize when something was wrong. She was trying to hide it, but her obviously forced smile and her too-casual deflection when he asked about Operation Mongoose told him the truth. He peered at her across the dinner table and saw the worry in her eyes.

"Whatever's going on, you can tell me," he said, interrupting her as she asked something about school. "You know that, right?"

A flash of sadness crossed her face, but it was gone in an instant as she composed herself and smiled at him. A fake smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"There's nothing wrong, Henry."

"Don't lie to me, mom."

That was guilt he saw now, but he ignored it. This wasn't like before, when she had tried to convince him that the curse wasn't real. He knew she wasn't that person anymore. But whatever it was that she didn't think he was old enough to understand, he wanted to know.

"Henry." Her voice was almost pleading as she set down her fork and looked him in the eye. "I don't want to lie to you. You're right, okay? But I need you to please just let me take care of this. Right now, telling you the truth would be too dangerous."

"Mom …"

"Please, Henry," she said. "Just trust me."

"I do trust you."

And he did. But that didn't mean he was going to do as he was told. Whatever was going on here, he was going to find out.

* * *

"Did we do the right thing?"

It's not a question that Cruella had ever expected to hear from the Sea Witch.

"What do you mean?" she demanded.

"You know what I mean." Ursula gestured to the table and the little box containing Robin's heart.

"We got what we wanted," said Cruella. "That's what matters. Who cares how?"

Ursula paced back and forth in the little sitting area of Rumple's cabin. Cruella watched her friend in confusion.

"Isn't that what villains do?" she asked. "Take what we want, by whatever means necessary?"

"The heroes do that, too," said Ursula contemplatively. "You and I know that better than anyone."

"They stole our happy endings," Cruella said, nodding in agreement. "But we will get them back."

"You believe that?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to make sure of it."

* * *

_ "__What is that like? I mean, can you …"_

_"__Feel? Yes, I can. Just not fully. It's difficult to explain."_

_"__Then don't. Use mine for the both of us."_

He hadn't understood at the time. But now he knew exactly what she meant and why it had been so difficult to explain. There were no words to describe the emptiness in his chest. He felt as if a curtain had been pulled between his mind and his emotions. Everything was disconnected. Everything was hollow and wrong. And yet, it wasn't gone, not completely. The rumors said that no one could love without a heart, but he felt sure that they must be wrong. Regina had fallen for him without her heart, and now without his, he hadn't lost his love for her, or for Roland. His feelings were somehow disconnected, and he suspected it would be far too easy to ignore them if he wanted. But with every fiber of his being, he fought to hold onto his love for them. He wouldn't let it slip away.

He couldn't think of Regina without remembering that awful night. It wasn't at all how he had imagined their reunion when he used to dream of it. He had pictured wrapping her in his arms and kissing her, seeing her smile, telling her how much he loved her and never letting go of her again. But now the horror in her eyes haunted him. He couldn't bear to think of her being forced back into the role of the villain to protect him. There was only one way to stop this, he knew. He had to escape, and the sooner the better.

Looking around the dungeon-like cellar they were keeping him in, he couldn't see much of a way to escape. Picking the lock was no good, since as far as he could tell, it wasn't even locked. Instead, they had cast some kind of protection spell that threw him backwards whenever he went too near the door. There were no windows for him to escape through, and the room was almost completely bare, with just a single lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and a sleeping bag on the cold stone floor. And of course, once he got himself free, the real challenge would begin: getting back his heart. But he would find a way. He had to.

"I will see you again soon, Regina," he whispered to himself. "I promise."

* * *

The text came late at night, after Henry was asleep. Or at least, Regina hoped he was asleep. She didn't want him getting caught up in this mess.

_Meet us at the clock tower,_ the message said, and to tell the truth, she almost wanted to.

Almost.

But it didn't matter what she wanted. She couldn't afford to refuse.

In a puff of purple smoke, she was gone.

* * *

She was dust. Less than dust, maybe. She couldn't say that she was alive anymore, but she wasn't dead, either. Instead, she was forced to endure this cursed half-existence. Death would have been better.

It wasn't so bad during the curse. Her dragon form was part of her, something she had prided herself on. The isolation was worse than the form she was forced to take, but then again, she was used to being alone. But ever since the blonde with the leather jacket and the sword had come, she might as well have been dead.

In the echoes of what had once been a voice, she cursed those who had condemned her to this fate. The insipid princess and her despicable mother. The woman she had called her friend whose curse had reduced her to this ghostlike existence. The so-called Savior whose heroics had sealed her fate. And most of all, the fairy in the blue dress whose self-righteousness masked her true nature.

They would pay. They would all suffer for what they had done to her. You didn't mess with a dragon without getting burned. But for now, she was trapped here. Powerless. Maybe she always would be. A True Love's Kiss was never going to happen, and short of that, the only one who could save her from this fate was the one who had cursed her to it in the first place. Maybe it was true that villains didn't get happy endings. But then why did those who had made her a villain live happily?

With a jolt, she realized she was not alone. Roaring with anger, she began to take form, from dust into monster, as she had once before when the pirate had fallen into her underground world. Before her, she saw four of her old friends. She would show them no mercy. But as she prepared to attack, Regina lifted her hands, beams of light shooting from her palms. It wrapped around her like a blanket, changing her, bringing her back from this shapeless, dustlike being into a form that she had once called her own. There had been a time when she had thought that her human form was weak and vulnerable compared to the dragon, but now it felt strong and solid as she touched her hands to her face, hardly able to believe that she was real again.

She blinked in confusion at her former friend, her old mentor, and her fellow Queens of Darkness. Three of the faces were full of triumph, but one was pained and uncertain. Their eyes met for a moment, and Regina smiled a shaky smile.

"Welcome back, Maleficent."


	5. Chapter 5

The world was a vast expanse of emptiness, stretching out endlessly in every direction. Little pinpricks of light shone in the distance. If she didn't know any better, she would say they looked beautiful. But they were like her. Trapped.

She knew who she was – who she had been. Mother Superior. The Blue Fairy. That made it worse, somehow. To exist in this state, floating in nothingness, unable to move or speak was horrible enough. But to be fully aware the entire time …

When she got out of here, she would bring the wrath of judgment down on whoever had dared to inflict this suffering on her and her fellow fairies. She knew she would succeed. After all, good always won. The author would never allow it to be otherwise. She simply had to wait and be patient.

Then, a moment later – or perhaps an eternity – she felt herself being pulled away, upward, out of the star-studded prison that held her. She was pushed forward into blinding brightness and tumbled awkwardly to the ground. She looked around and found herself in the forest. It was barely dawn, and much of the sky was still dark, but the light burned her eyes, which were used to the emptiness inside the hat. The Savior was there, and the pirate, and Belle, who held the Dark One's dagger over the hat as countless other captives were regurgitated.

"What happened?" she demanded, scrambling to her feet and brushing dirt and twigs from her skirt.

She listened as the Savior filled her in on the Dark One's misdeeds, seething with righteous anger. She had known! Of course she had known! He was the Dark One for goodness sake, the absolute personification of all that was wrong with the world. He was the ultimate antithesis of everything the fairies stood for. How could anyone believe there was good in him? Belle, though she was a sweet girl with a good heart, was – quite frankly – a lovesick fool who would believe anything her husband claimed. But the others?

Well, it didn't matter, she reminded herself. He would pay. He was already paying, from what they said. He should have known all along: villains don't get happy endings.

* * *

The best thing that could be said was that Regina's old friend hadn't tried to kill her yet. That didn't mean her eyes weren't screaming murder as the five of them took the world's most awkward elevator ride out of the underground cavern.

"You'd better run along home," Rumple said to Regina when they reached the top. "Don't want your charming friends to get suspicious."

Maleficent's brow wrinkled with confusion.

"Wait a moment," she said. "What exactly is going on here?"

Regina opened her mouth to speak, but Rumple beat her to it.

"Much has changed while you've been … out of commission," he said. "The Charmings trust her. They believe that she's changed, that she's on their side."

"I have," Regina protested. "I … am."

Cruella's cold laugh filled the empty library.

"You really think they'll believe that?" she asked. "If they catch you here with us, they'll know you've betrayed them. It doesn't matter if you think you've changed; they won't believe it."

Regina's heart sunk. She knew Cruella was right.

"You need to let me see Robin," she said, turning back to Rumple. "I did what you wanted."

"Oh, you're not done doing what I want, dearie," he replied. "But don't worry. As long as you cooperate, no harm will come to him."

A look of comprehension dawned on Maleficent's face.

"You're blackmailing her."

"Yes," said Regina crisply. "Now, shall we all get out of here, or do you want to be found?"

She saw their skepticism. And it made perfect sense; they must be wondering why on earth she would care. But she knew that the Charmings would assume the worst if they found her in such company, and everything she had worked for would be thrown out the window. Her only hope was to find a way to free Robin and herself on her own. Until then, it was better to avoid a confrontation where she would be forced to fight on the side of her blackmailers.

"Belle will be here in a few hours," she pointed out. "It's almost morning, and the library opens soon. I have a feeling you don't want to be here when she arrives."

Rumple nodded grimly and Regina vanished in a puff of smoke, not waiting for the others. She reappeared in her own bedroom and collapsed into silk sheets, not even bothering to undress. Soon, Henry would be up, but she couldn't resist sleep, however brief.

* * *

Henry peeked cautiously into his mother's room.

"Mom, you kind of overslept," he said. "I'm going to be late for school. Mom?"

To his surprise, his mom was still asleep in bed, dressed in the same pantsuit she had worn the day before. She blinked groggily at him.

"What time is it?"

"Late. Seven thirty, almost."

She shot upright.

"Oh … are you ready for school? You're not leaving the house without breakfast. You can have something quick, but _not_ one of those awful poptarts Emma lets you eat. Real food, Henry."

He would almost say that she was babbling, if Regina was even capable of such a thing. Henry sat down on the edge of the bed and looked her in the eye.

"What's going on, Mom?" he asked.

She shook her head. If he didn't know better, he would say she almost looked … defeated.

"Just go get ready for school."

He frowned. There was definitely something wrong, and he was going to do whatever he could to help his mom.

* * *

Henry didn't go to school. The person he wanted to talk to wouldn't be there, so he waved goodbye to his mom at the bus stop and ran off in the opposite direction as soon as her back was turned. He felt a pang of guilt at lying to her, but it was for her own good. If he was going to help her, he needed to talk to his other mom.

When he got to the Sheriff's station, she was sitting behind the desk, drinking a soda and chatting with his grandpa. They both turned and looked up when he came running in.

"Hey, kid. Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Yeah, but I need your help," he said, gasping for breath. "It's important."

"Okay, hold up," said his grandpa. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Henry said. "But something's going on with my mom. My other mom, I mean," he added when David looked questioningly at Emma.

"Regina?" David asked.

"She did sound … strange when I talked to her the other day," said Emma slowly.

"You think she's up to something?"

"No!" Henry shook his head frantically. "I think she's in trouble."

David walked over and took a seat.

"Okay, what exactly happened?"

"She's been acting funny," Henry said. "Like she's worried about something. And when I asked her a few days ago, she pretty much told me there was something wrong, but she wouldn't tell me what."

"You're sure it's not just … you know … Robin Hood?" suggested Emma. "She's pretty upset about losing him, you know.

"She was out all night last night. She didn't tell me, it was easy to figure out. This morning she way overslept, and she was still wearing the same clothes she wore yesterday. Tell me that's not weird."

Emma and David exchanged a glance.

"Yeah, that's weird," Emma admitted. "Look, kid, we'll do our best to figure out what's going on here. But right now, you need to get to school. Okay?"

A sudden worry occurred to him.

"You will help her, won't you?" he asked. "You don't think she's going evil again?"

Emma smiled, but her eyes were sad. She took Henry's hands.

"I think she's fought very hard to put that time in her life behind her," she said. "But you know it's not always easy for her."

"She's come too far."

"You're right, she has. And trust me, we all want to see her succeed."

"But …"

"But I want you to understand, if we find out she's … giving in to her dark side …"

"Just promise you won't hurt her."

Emma hesitated.

"We'll do our best," she said. "We always have."

He wasn't so sure about that. But he knew things had changed, and he found himself believing her. He nodded.

"All right, kid. You really need to get to school."

* * *

When Emma got done dropping Henry off at school and dealing with a very irritated teacher, she came back to the station to find David pacing anxiously.

"So what do you think?" he asked.

"I don't know," Emma admitted. "I think _something's_ going on. I'm just not sure _what_."

"You think she might be reverting, though?"

"I hope not."

* * *

"So you don't have any clue as to his identity?"

Regina glared across the room at Ursula.

"I didn't six weeks ago, Rumple can confirm that," she snapped. "What makes you think I've suddenly become an expert on the author? I don't know much more than any of you."

"But you've been working on it longer," said Cruella. "Surely you must know something. And if you don't … well, then perhaps we no longer have any use for you."

She looked pointedly at the glowing box in Rumple's hand, and Regina felt as if someone had their fist clamped around her own heart.

"There is one thing," she said. "But if I tell you, I want to see him. Talk to him. I need to know that he's okay."

Rumple nodded.

"What do you know?"

"He has a house here in Storybrooke."

* * *

Robin was about to die of boredom.

It could be worse, he knew. The last time he had been Rumplestiltskin's prisoner, he had been chained up in the dungeon and tortured nearly to the point of death. By contrast, he could hardly complain; his current captors at least were feeding him and hadn't harmed him, although he knew that could change in an instant if Regina tried to resist their blackmail.

But still, there was something mind-numbingly agonizing about pacing back and forth in a room the size of a walk-in closet, staring at four walls and waiting for, well, anything. He scratched marks on the wall with his belt buckle to keep track of time. Not by days, because without a window to the outside, he had no idea whether it was even day or night. Instead, he marked the number of times they brought him food. He wasn't sure if it was twice or three times a day, but so far he had made three little marks on the wall. He knew that soon, he would lose track of time altogether. It was silly to care about that given his situation, but if he could change one thing, short of escaping and having his heart back, he would choose to have a watch, or at least a window so that he could tell when it was light and dark outside.

As he slumped down in the corner, Robin heard footsteps coming closer, and the doorknob turned. At first, he worried. He had been fed not long ago, so it couldn't be that. Had something happened? Had they decided he was no longer useful? But then the door was flung open, and he saw her.

She was as beautiful as he remembered her, with her olive skin and silky black hair. Her eyes were puffy and red as if from crying, but she held herself with the composure of a Queen, and when she looked at him, she smiled.

"Regina."

They ran to embrace each other, but just as she was almost in his arms, they hit the barrier spell that held him captive and were both thrown backwards onto the ground. She stood and turned with a glare to the man who stood silently behind her.

"What did you do, Rumple?" she snarled.

He half-smirked.

"Well, I said you could talk to him, dearie," he said. "I didn't say you could touch him. If you wanted that, you should have been more specific."

Her eyes softened as she turned back toward Robin and took a few cautious steps forward towards the invisible barrier. He stepped forward as well, stopping just a foot away from where she stood.

"Robin, I … are you okay?"

How was he even supposed to answer that? No, of course he wasn't – and not just because of his own circumstances. How could he be okay, knowing that the woman he loved was being put into such a horrible position on his account?

"Don't worry about me," he said.

But he had hesitated too long, and he saw in her eyes that she knew. He wasn't okay.

"I've missed you," he said. "All the time we've been apart, I've never stopped thinking about you. I love you, Regina. You know that, right?"

She inhaled sharply, and he thought he saw tears welling up in her eyes. But she nodded.

"Robin, I …"

"I know."

"You're going to be okay," she said. "I'll make sure, I'll do whatever I have to …"

He shook his head, looking her in the eye.

"No, Regina, listen to me," he said. "Be the person you've worked so hard to be. I would never want you to throw that out for my sake."

She shifted, hiding her face from Rumple, as a single tear fell down her cheek.

"I know who I am," she said. "I love you, Robin. And I always protect the people I love. I'll do anything to keep you safe. Anything."

He had no doubt that his heart would break, if he had one. He held up his hand and reached out to touch the invisible barrier, and she did the same. Their palms were barely an inch apart, but they couldn't touch, separated by a force more powerful than either of them.

* * *

Regina came home that afternoon, her heart still aching. She would have stayed there with Robin all day if she could, but of course Rumple wouldn't allow that. She still had tears on her face as she walked up the front steps and into the house, kicking off her heels in the entryway, something she had rarely done before. Today, they didn't make her feel powerful. They just felt like a burden.

As she walked barefoot into the house, she suddenly became aware that she was not alone. Three figures sat at the kitchen table, waiting.

Emma. Snow. David.

"What the hell are you idiots doing here?" she demanded.

As they looked up, she frantically tried to wipe away her tears, afraid to let them see her weakness. But it was too late.

Snow stood and walked over to Regina, gently placing a hand on her arm.

"We need to talk," she said.

Of course, Regina realized, her heart sinking. They knew. And now they had come to confront her.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been three days now since Robin had gone to work and not come back. Alone in the little apartment with Roland, Marian couldn't help but wonder if he had abandoned her. She was under no illusion that they were still husband and wife and was fully aware that his heart was in Storybrooke with Regina. Perhaps he had come to regret his decision to leave with Marian. Was it possible that he had gone back?

But even if he had found a way back into town, even if he had left without so much as a goodbye to her, Marian knew he would never abandon his son. The fact that he had vanished so suddenly told her one thing: something bad had happened.

She had to help him, and although the idea of returning filled her with dread, she knew where she had to go. Storybrooke.

* * *

Regina had expected anger and rejection. That was what she had been preparing herself for ever since she realized what she was going to have to do. If the Charmings found out, there was no way they would understand. They might tolerate her and even be willing to forgive her while she was on their side, but she didn't believe for one moment that they would react well if they discovered she was helping their enemies. She would lose everything once again, and although it was agonizing to consider, she thought she had made peace with it.

She hadn't been prepared for kindness.

She hadn't been prepared for David to ask in a worried tone if she was okay. For Emma to look her in the eye and say that she could tell them anything. For Snow to take her hand and assure her that she could trust them, that they only wanted to help. If she told the truth, Robin might pay with his life. But if she didn't speak …

"Please," she said. "Just go away."

"I think you know we can't do that," said David. "Come on, Regina, what's going on?"

"I can't tell you."

"And we can't leave here without finding out," said Emma stubbornly.

"What are you going to do? Torture it out of me?"

"No, of course not."

"Then get out of my house."

She couldn't let herself cry in front of them, but the overflow of tears didn't listen. She blinked them back fiercely and ignored the mascara stains on her cheeks. They stared back at her, worried and expectant.

"I'm sorry."

There it was. Resigned disappointment etched into the lines of three faces.

"What did you do?" David asked.

"It's not what I did," she said. "It's what I'm doing."

There was no going back now. If she was going to confess, she had to tell them everything. So with a sigh of defeat, she spoke of Rumple and the Queens of Darkness and their plot to find the author.

"They want to force him to change the book," she explained. "So that the villains win."

"And you're helping them."

She stared at her lap, unable to meet their eyes.

"Why?" Emma asked. "Regina, it's one thing to want a happy ending for yourself, and you know we totally support you in that. But you're not a villain anymore. I know how hard you've fought to put that behind you. Why would you want to help these Queens of Darkness?"

Silence.

"Regina, please," said Snow.

"You think I want to?"

She looked up and saw confusion in their faces. She had already said too much, but maybe it was better for them to know. So she told them and watched their eyes go wide with horrified understanding as the truth sank in. Then Snow was hugging her like she hadn't since she was a little girl and promising that Regina won't lose another love. Tears sprang to her eyes again. Sometimes, hope was the most frightening thing of all.

* * *

Scowling, the author cursed free will. Just when his heroes should have brought down the villain, just when they should have shown her what happens to those who stray from the right path, they instead chose to show kindness and sympathy. Worthy qualities, certainly, but not ones that were meant to be wasted on a creature as unworthy as the Evil Queen. He slammed the book shut and began pacing. He would need to be more creative if he was to succeed in planning Queen's downfall.

* * *

Now that she was back and free from the underground cavern, there was no one and nothing that could stop Maleficent from paying a visit to a few old friends. Not even Rumple's words about subtlety. He should understand. He hated the fairies almost as much as she did.

She barged through the front door of the convent, dressed in pastel purple. She knew they would see it as mockery and take offense. She had no need for black corsets or horned headdresses to be intimidating.

The younger fairies looked at her with big, startled eyes and ran as she approached. No doubt to warn their beloved leader. Then all of a sudden, Blue herself was in the doorway, standing there with an all too familiar look of disapproval.

"You have no power here," she said sternly, just like a disapproving teacher. "Leave. Now."

Maleficent laughed. "You have no power over me anymore."

"Violet …"

The name was a jab, Maleficent knew, meant to make her feel like a disobedient child. But she glared back.

"I will never forgive you," she said. "And I will not let you win. I will have my victory."

* * *

_"__Violet!"_

_The young fairy rolled her eyes as she turned to face her mentor._

_"__Yes, Blue?"_

_The Blue Fairy's eyes narrowed disapprovingly._

_"__Were you listening to me at all? I asked you if you're ready for the christening ceremony."_

_"__Actually," said Violet nervously, "that's something I was hoping to talk to you about. I know you want me to give the baby Princess the gift of song …"_

_"__And?"_

_"__Well, aren't there better things that I could give her? Courage? Wisdom? A kind heart? Leadership skills? Surely there are more important things for a future Queen than the ability to sing well."_

_Blue's face was as stern and hard as if she were made of stone._

_"__You will do as I say," she ordered._

_"__But – "_

_"__The King and Queen want their daughter to be beautiful, charming, and skilled in all the things that a young lady should be."_

_She didn't finish the thought, but the young fairy knew. They wanted a pretty ornament to display and didn't care what their daughter was like as a person, maybe even preferred her to be submissive and empty-headed. She felt a stirring of sympathy for the child; she knew all too well what it was like to have a mind of her own and a rebellious heart and not be able to use it. So when she approached the cradle, the last of the three fairies, she spoke defiantly:_

_"__I give the gift of rebellion."_

_She lost her wings that day._

_No longer a fairy, she left behind her color name. She wanted nothing more to do with it. Purple, she kept, but in darker and darker shades, in styles that Blue would never have approved of. Her wings and fairy magic were gone, but another form of magic stirred in her veins, a dark and primal one that awoke with her feelings of anger and hatred. They called her the Dark Enchantress, the Black Fairy, Maleficent. She smiled when she first heard the name and took it as her own._

_Fifteen years later, Princess Leah knocked on the front door to the Forbidden Fortress and asked Maleficent to teach her magic. The former fairy smiled and welcomed her. For the first time in years, she had found someone she could call a friend. The young Princess had turned out to be everything she had hoped – bold, stubborn, and free-spirited, but also compassionate towards her people and concerned with the affairs of the kingdom. She would make a great Queen someday, and Maleficent couldn't bring herself to corrupt the girl, so she taught her to channel her better emotions, her passion and bravery, into spells that could be used for good. The Princess asked about sleeping curses and ripping out hearts, but the dark fairy refused to teach her._

_One day, the Leah arrived with a rosy glow in her cheeks and a dazzling smile on her lips. Maleficent knew before she spoke a word: the Princess was in love._

_But he was just a commoner, a boy she had met and danced with in the woods, and when she spoke of him to her parents, they forbid her from ever seeing him again. She must not forget that she was betrothed to a Prince, or that her sixteenth birthday was to be her wedding day. She came to Maleficent sobbing and begging for an escape, and the former fairy pulled out a needle imbued with a powerful sleeping curse._

_"__True Love's Kiss will be able to wake you," she said. "But nothing else. Are you sure you wish to do this?"_

_Leah just smiled._

_"__I was born to do this," she said as she reached out and touched her finger to the sharp tip of the needle. Three drops of blood fell upon the floor as the Princess collapsed._

_Later, she would scream about a hall of mirrors where she floated alone and afraid for what seemed like an eternity and a fiery room that haunted her dreams every night, accusing her friend and mentor of betraying her. Maleficent begged, pleaded, and tried desperately to explain, but no one would listen – least of all Leah's lover, who turned out to be a Prince after all and was utterly convinced that Maleficent was a demon who tried to kill his Princess. It was the beginning of a long and bloody war between Maleficent and Leah, who fought with the support of the Blue Fairy and all her followers._

_Maleficent had never meant to become a villain, but somehow, she had become one._

_After years of betrayal and a once-friendship turned bitter and poisonous, Maleficent would appear at another christening, that of Leah's daughter, the newborn Princess Aurora. This time, she would show no mercy._

* * *

There were precious few people who Maleficent had called friends, and those who she did more often than not were unworthy of the title. The Blue Fairy, once her respected mentor, had turned on her and thrown her out without a moment's hesitation, and not one of the other fairies had done anything to stop her. Princess Leah had taken her gift, her assistance, and thrown all the blame on Maleficent when she didn't like the result. Regina had stolen back the Dark Curse and trapped her in the form of a dragon. She had learned over the years that trust was nothing more than an invitation to let yourself be hurt.

But as she watched Regina that day, fidgeting anxiously, her eyes red and bloodshot, Maleficent was reminded for a moment of the young Queen she had met all those years ago. She remembered the simple makeshift ring that her friend had treasured and the night when she had told her the story of her lost love, the stable boy whose heart had been crushed.

Maleficent knew this must be torture for her friend – former friend, she reminded herself – with another lover's heart hanging in the balance. This wasn't just some empty affair; the Regina she knew would never have caved in to blackmail unless she truly loved him.

The question was, did he feel the same?

* * *

Robin was pacing his cell when she appeared in the doorway. At first glance, he didn't recognize her, but when she spoke, he realized that he had heard her voice before.

"So, you're the handsome thief who has stolen Regina's heart?"

"What business is it of yours, witch?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Do you still think so poorly of those who use magic?" she asked. "Even now that you're sleeping with a sorceress?"

Robin felt a surge of anger and fought back the urge to slam his fist into Maleficent's face.

"Regina is different," he said. "I don't approve of magic, no – it's dangerous and difficult to control, and it always comes with a price. But it's a part of who she is, and she uses it for good now, to help people. I accept that. I believe in her."

"You speak of her as if you have no idea who she is."

"She's not the Evil Queen to me," Robin said. "I know who she _was_, of course. But she chose redemption, and she has been fighting so hard to not be that person anymore. And I will not let you and your band of villains ruin that for her."

Maleficent was smiling. To his surprise, he could hardly detect any malice in it.

"You love her."

"With all my heart – and even without it."

Maleficent pulled out a box that held a pulsing red heart. Robin's eyes went wide.

"Then you should have it back."

* * *

Regina flinched when she heard the knock on the door. Despite the relief of not being rejected by the Charmings, another day of being forced to help the Queens of Darkness had done nothing to make her feel better. Standing shakily, she tried to pull herself together. Whoever was there could not be allowed to see her weakness. She swallowed nervously as she turned the doorknob. When she saw who was standing on her front porch, her jaw dropped.

"Robin!"

She rushed to embrace him and melted into his arms. Her lips crashed against his, no patience for slow, gentle kisses right now, only the desperate need to know that he was here and alive and free.

"What happened to you?" she gasped, coming up for air. "How did you escape?"

"Maleficent," he said. "She gave me my heart back and let me go. She said that you were once her friend and she didn't want you to lose another love."

Regina smiled.

"I thought she would want revenge … I never dreamed she would be the one to help me. But the important thing is that you're safe. Come on, we should get you inside."

* * *

Meanwhile, in a cabin in the woods, three Queens of Darkness watched as Rumplestiltskin placed the heart back inside the box. He turned to Maleficent.

"Thank you for the brilliant idea, dearie," he said. "But the next time I catch you trying to sabotage me, I will kill you."


	7. Chapter 7

"You love her."

"With all my heart – and even without it."

Maleficent pulled out a box that held a pulsing red heart. Robin's eyes went wide.

"Then you should have it back."

"You would do that?"

Maleficent nodded.

"Regina was once my friend," she said. "I don't want her to lose another love."

But as she picked up the heart in her hand, the clip-clop of heels on the stairs told them that they were not alone. The door was flung open, and there stood Cruella, a furious expression on her face.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded.

"The right thing."

Cruella let out a high, cackling laugh.

"Don't be naïve," she said. "We can't afford to give up such a valuable bargaining chip. If you let him go, we lose control over Regina. Now hand over the heart."

"Make me," snarled Maleficent.

Cruella made a sound that was almost a growl and dove at Maleficent, knocking her backward off her feet. Robin clutched at his chest as his heart fell to the ground. He scrambled forward to try to grab it, but Cruella's fingers closed around it, sharp nails digging into it. He crumpled in pain.

"You're not going anywhere," she said coldly.

"On the contrary."

It was Rumple's voice. None of them had even noticed that he was there.

"Regina has been … reluctant to help us. I'm certain she's not telling us everything she knows. But we do have a common goal; she wants to find the author as much as we do."

"I don't understand," said Cruella.

"You never were one for subtlety," said Rumple. "But perhaps the best way to obtain her help is to make her believe she's not helping us at all. If he were to escape, she would go back to searching for the author, just as she was before. And if we had a way of spying on her … say, if we kept his heart …"

"No," Robin gasped.

"Oh, yes."

* * *

Robin lay beside Regina with his arm wrapped around her waist. In her sleep, she snuggled close to him and sighed contentedly. The words he was forbidden to say stuck in his throat as if they were anchored there with iron chains. His chest felt hollow and empty without his heart, and it pained him to know how close he had come to freedom.

* * *

Regina could hardly remember the last time she had been this happy.

Actually, she could: walking down the street that night with Robin and Roland, stopping for a kiss in front of the diner, with no idea that what they found inside would turn her world upside down. Hearing Henry call her "mom" again after weeks of looking straight through her, kissing him on the forehead and seeing the rainbow light pulse through the air around them. Sitting on the park bench, 5 seconds of "I choose you" before Marian collapsed, the freezing spell returning. There had been some very good memories lately; that was what made the bad ones hurt so much.

But still, Robin was here with her. He was safe. A huge weight was lifted from her shoulders as she realized that she no longer had to fear for his heart. It was back in his chest where it belonged, and there it would stay.

Breakfast that day was like a private celebration, just the three of them – Regina, Robin, and Henry. She raised her cup of coffee in a toast over the breakfast table: "to the return of your heart", echoing the words that he had said to her not so long ago.

After breakfast, when Henry was off to school, she called Emma to share the good news.

"No way! That's awesome! So he's okay, then?"

"Yes, he's fine. He says Maleficent let him go. I guess our old friendship was worth something after all."

"That's great. I'm so happy for you, Regina."

"Thank you."

"Hey, it's going to be okay, you know," said Emma. "This is a sign. You're going to have your happy ending."

"I hope you're right."

Regina hung up and turned back to Robin, pulling him into another kiss, only half believing that he was really there with her.

* * *

Over the next few days, the search for the author made little progress. No matter how many times Regina flipped through the storybook, scrutinizing every page and every word, no matter how many times they walked through the author's house and entered the room full of blank storybooks, no matter what Rumple and the Queens of Darkness did, new evidence was surprising hard to come by. It seemed that the author did not want to be found.

* * *

"This is getting out of hand. You do realize that?"

The author turned to the Blue Fairy and nodded.

"Never before have so many even guessed at my existence," he said. "Let alone sought to overturn my story."

"I'm worried about Maleficent," said Blue. "She came into the convent the other day and swore to get revenge on the fairies. And Gold as well; everyone knows how much he hates us. But it's not just them. Even Snow White and her family have been helping the Queen try to get her happy ending."

"There is no happy ending for her," he said darkly. "For any of them. Villains don't get happy endings."

The Blue Fairy nodded.

"I quite agree. There are some things that are simply too horrible to come back from, and mass murder is one of those things. Even if she truly has changed – which I don't believe – she'll always be a danger. What fate do you have in store for her?"

"The worst."

"So she is to die?"

The author shook his head.

"Not yet, at least. Death would be nothing to her," he said. "She has to lose everything she loves, one way or another."

The Blue Fairy raised an eyebrow.

"This isn't just about stopping a villain, is it?" she asked. "You let other villains be killed all the time. It's about more than that."

"She has to be punished."

"What did she do?" asked the Blue Fairy. "What makes her so much worse than any other villain?"

The author turned away.

"She's a rebel," he said. "She had a chance to be a hero, and instead, she chose darkness. Now that she's a villain, she insists on choosing light. She was the first to begin this plot to find me and change the book. She's a rogue character that cannot be predicted nor controlled."

"She's dangerous, yes, and unpredictable. But I don't think that's all. You can trust me, you know."

He turned to face her, and she saw tears in his eyes.

"A long time ago, before the curse, when I was a much younger man and the previous author had only recently retired, the Evil Queen visited a small village in her kingdom. She asked for information on Snow White, but no one knew, and those who did know refused to say. She ordered her knights to kill them all, and they did – men, women, even children."

"That's horrible."

"That was the village where my brother and his family lived," said the author. "He and his wife and their two little girls all died because of her. She must be punished."

"You're right," the Blue Fairy agreed grimly. "You're absolutely right. Whatever you want to do, you have my full support."

"Thank you."

"Listen, I have to go. I told the fairies I'd be back by three."

"Stay safe. And thank you for your support. You're one of the few people I can truly trust."

She nodded and placed her hand on the wall, which dissolved into an empty archway.

"I'll see you again shortly," she called as she walked away.

* * *

The abandoned mansion was more of a mystery than a clue, as Cruella and Ursula were beginning to discover. For all its elaborate rooms – many of them carefully concealed – there were quite a few clues that it belonged to the author, but almost nothing to tell them how to find him.

"Or her," Ursula pointed out. "There's nothing to say the author isn't a woman."

"Could be an it for all I care," said Cruella. "We just need to find them, whoever they are."

"Shhh."

"What?"

"Quiet!" Ursula hissed. "You hear that? Footsteps."

Clearly, they were no longer alone. As they hid themselves behind the doorframe, a woman in a blue nun's outfit walked past.

* * *

Ruby crossed off another day on the calendar. The little circle of the full moon was stenciled in tomorrow's square, representing the first day of the Wolf's Time that no longer frightened her. She grinned, eager for the chance to run free as a wolf once again.


	8. Chapter 8

Half an hour before the diner was supposed to open for breakfast, Granny's was already crowded. It was almost like one of their old war councils, Snow thought. Different people, different goals, but the same tension in the air now that had been there when they had met to try to thwart the Dark Curse.

Emma cleared her throat. "So, you all know by now that we're under attack. We need to decide what our plan is going to be."

"Well," said Regina. "We could do what we always do, go in without a clue what we're doing, and hope for the best. But against Rumple, there's a good chance that's not going to work. Or we can stop ignoring the elephant in the room and use every advantage we have."

"And what would that be?" David asked from his seat beside Snow. "You want to start ripping their hearts out or something?"

"Well, if need be," said Regina. "But actually, no. I was talking about her."

She lifted her hand and pointed down the table at Belle, who shifted uncomfortably.

"Me?"

"You do still have the Dark One's dagger, don't you?" asked Regina. "You could use it to control him and force him to give up this fight."

But Belle was shaking her head furiously.

"No, I won't do that to him," she said. "I used it to stop him once before when it was the only choice, but I won't enslave him with it. There has to be a better way. Anyway, he's not acting alone, and the dagger doesn't have any power over these Queens of Darkness."

"But just stopping Rumple himself would be a big step," Regina argued. "He's by far the most dangerous out of the four."

"I'm not going to do it."

"We have to do what's best for the most people."

"All right, that's enough," Snow cut in. "He is her husband, after all. If she's not willing to control him, she shouldn't have to."

Belle gave a wobbly smile.

"Thank you, Snow."

"There's something else we need to discuss," said Red, who sat beside Belle. "Wolf's Time starts tonight."

"I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with anything?" Regina snapped.

"If I went after them as the Wolf …"

"No," said Granny immediately, her strict tone putting an end to argument. "I don't want you to get more blood on your hands, and I won't let you put yourself in danger. Your wolf self isn't immortal, Ruby, and up against four powerful magic-users …"

Ruby looked down in embarrassment.

"It was just a suggestion."

"Okay, look, we're almost out of time," said David.

"So it _is_ going to be the usual plan," observed Regina. "Go into this with no clue what we're doing and hope for the best."

"Looks like it."

Regina groaned. Beneath the table, Robin squeezed her hand.

"We'll fix this," he said. "I promise."

* * *

Rumple had left to investigate the author's house – again – leaving all three Queens of Darkness behind at the cabin. None of them were particularly happy with that, and they sulked like children denied a new toy for several hours after he left. But there were things to be done, and spying on the heroes was one of those things. The three women crowded around a mirror and watched as their little meeting unfolded.

"Wolf's time," Cruella murmured. "So the girl in red is a werewolf?"

"Oh, yes," said Maleficent. "Regina once told me about her. She was part of Snow White's army back in the day."

"Interesting," said Ursula. "I wonder if the full moon might make a good diversion. If there's a werewolf on the loose …"

"Don't get your hopes up. She can control the wolf, and it doesn't seem like she's interested in doing much damage."

"Ah, well."

"A werewolf," Cruella said again, under her breath. "Interesting."

The edges of her lips curled into a slight smile, one that Ursula recognized all too well.

"You're not thinking …"

Cruella met her gaze with a gleam in her eyes.

"Why not?"

* * *

Many miles away, a bus left New York City. Sitting near the back, with her fists clenched and her stomach doing somersaults, was Marian. Roland sat beside her, bouncing up and down with excitement as the bus started to move. The poor child had no idea the danger they would be facing, but she couldn't leave him behind when she knew she might not come back. One way or another, she would keep him safe and find out what had happened to Robin. Staying put when he might be in great danger was something Marian would never consider.

* * *

"I don't think you've ever told me before," said Maleficent. "What are your stories?"

"Whatever do you mean?" replied Cruella.

"You know. How did you become … well, villains?"

Cruella laughed.

"Oh, you sound like Regina," she said coldly. "Will all her nonsense about how 'evil isn't born, it's made'. I don't have some ridiculous sob story. I am simply a woman who wants everything and will do whatever is in my power to get it."

Ursula nodded too quickly.

"Me, too."

The lie tasted bitter on her tongue as she remembered her father's coppery blood seeping out into the water as he yelled for her to flee, as the usurper King picked up Poseidon's trident and aimed it at her, narrowly missing with a spell that would have blasted her to tiny shreds. Month after month, year after year of isolation and fear as she hid in the depths and tried to avoid the people who still hunted for her. Eventually having even her name be slowly forgotten. She should have been Queen of the Seas, but instead, she was little more than a myth.

She would have been a good Queen, or at least so she believed. Unlike that wretched impostor, King Triton, she would have focused her energy on keeping the ocean prosperous and protecting its people, not on throwing lavish parties. There had always been the problem of her father, King Poseidon – it was rather hard to inherit the throne from an immortal deity – but she had been confident that she would eventually convince him to step down and let her take her turn. Now, that seemed like a foolish dream.

"Evil isn't born, it's made" was actually quite an accurate way of summing it up. But with Cruella's mocking laugh and scornful gaze, it was much easier to pretend.

She caught sight of Maleficent's disappointed face and realized she might not be the only one who had started out with every intention of being a hero and somehow become a villain instead.

* * *

If there was one good thing about this mess, Robin thought, it was that he at least did have the opportunity to be near Regina. If he had never been kidnapped, he might never have seen her again, and if he was still locked up in Rumple's cabin, he wouldn't be here, sitting by the fire at the Merry Men's camp, with his arm wrapped around Regina and her head on his shoulder. No doubt, later, once this was all happily resolved, he would thank his lucky stars for this misfortune. But for now, he couldn't help the knot in his stomach as he remembered that Rumple and the Queens of Darkness still held his heart.

"This is so nice," she murmured.

"It is, isn't it?" he replied. "The forest can be such a soothing place."

"I meant being with you."

He smiled.

"There's no place I'd rather be than with you."

She frowned and stared at her lap.

"When this is over … Marian and Roland are still on their own in New York."

He could tell where she was going with that thought and cut her off right away.

"I'm not leaving you again," he said. "Never. We'll work something out, but I don't ever want to say goodbye to you again, Regina."

He could see the worry lines in her forehead visibly relax, and he realized she had never expected him to stay. He held her more tightly and was overwhelmed with something almost like anger at the thought that such a wonderful, amazing woman would be so surprised to find herself wanted and loved.

He couldn't promise her that everything would be okay. How could he, when their enemies still held his heart? But they weren't controlling his heart right now, at least not that he could tell. He still couldn't speak the words, not when they had specifically ordered him not to, but maybe there was a way. He gently took her right hand in his left and held it up to his chest, placing it right above where his heart should be.

"I love you, Regina," he said. "Even without my heart, I never stopped loving you."

He stared straight into her eyes, and for a split second he thought he saw a flicker of recognition. Perhaps she had noticed the lack of heartbeat or caught onto something in his tone. But then she was smiling and removing her hand from his chest. She wound her arms around him and her lips met his. Then her tongue was in his mouth and their hands were everywhere, all attempts to warn her of the truth forgotten.

In the distance, Will Scarlet called out: "You two need some privacy?"

"That might not be a bad idea," Robin gasped as they came up for air. "Shall we, milady?"

Regina smiled seductively and took his hand. A few snickers came from the Merry Men as the two slipped away into his tent, but they were too lost in each other to even notice, much less care.

* * *

The revolver was cold and heavy in Cruella's perfectly manicured hand, the barrel filled with silver bullets. She stepped out onto the front porch of the cabin, a smile on her face and a wicked gleam in her eyes. In the darkening sky above, a full moon was rising. It was time to hunt for a werewolf pelt.

Once, Cruella had been powerless. Weak. But with the magic stitched into the fur of her coats, she could be anything she wanted: a wolf, a bear, a horse, a dog, a fox. But tonight, she would be human; only a silver bullet, and not an animal's claws, could kill the werewolf. It would all be worth it, she told herself. She might have more important goals, but being distracted for one night wouldn't hurt, and a werewolf coat would be the crowning jewel of her collection.

She didn't have to go far to find the wolf. It found her not twenty yards into the woods. It snarled, baring its enormous fangs, and lunged at her, knocking her off her feet. Claws sliced through her skin and shredded her clothing. Teeth snapped just inches from her face. Her heart raced, and for a moment, she was sure the beast was going to rip her head from her shoulders in one savage bite.

She lifted the gun with a shaky hand and pulled the trigger. The gunshot sound echoed through the woods as the bullet lodged itself in the werewolf's shoulder. It writhed with pain, tearing at Cruella with its claws. Sharp teeth sank into her flesh, and she cried out. The creature's eyes had no humanity left in them, just an angry, wounded animal.

She let out a piercing scream as the world faded to black.

* * *

Regina woke by Robin's side, the two of them wrapped in a sleeping bag on the floor of his tent. His eyes flew open as well as a gunshot rang out through the night.

"What was that?"

She shook her head in confusion.

"I don't know."

Suddenly, the noise was followed by the sound of a woman screaming. They both bolted to their feet and stumbled out into the camp, where several of the Merry Men had also emerged from their tents, with expressions ranging from alarmed to confused to eager to get back to sleep. Robin jumped right into the role of the leader.

"Will, Mulan, come with us. We're going to find out what just happened. Little John, I'm leaving you in charge. Everyone else, please remain calm and alert."

The four of them set off into the woods, walking in the direction the scream had come from. Will Scarlet pulled out a flashlight to light up their path. Up ahead, not too far into the woods, they found an enormous red wolf and a woman in a tattered fur coat, both lying in a pool of blood.

"That's Ruby!" Robin cried out.

"And Cruella de Vil," added Regina bitterly.

Both figures were stirring faintly. Robin knelt beside Ruby's wolf form.

"She has a bullet wound in her shoulder, and she needs immediate help," he said after a few moments. "But I'd say she'll probably be all right. But the other woman …"

"She has been bitten by a werewolf," said Mulan, pointing at the undeniable teeth marks in Cruella's skin. "There's a good chance she'll be turned."

"So what do you want to do?" Will asked. "Kill her?"

"She is one of the women who kidnapped Robin," said Mulan. "She is our enemy. If we allow her to become a werewolf, she would just become even more dangerous."

"She has a point," said Regina. "Normally I'd say to take her to the Sheriff's station and let them deal with her, but the Charmings are too soft-hearted to kill, and this is only the first night of Wolf's Time."

Robin stood and put his hand on her arm.

"I'm not sure …"

"Robin, we don't have a choice."

Footsteps from the other side of the clearing told them that they were not alone. The two broke apart and turned to face the other two Queens of Darkness, whose eyes went wide as they saw their companion lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Ursula gasped.

"She's not …"

"Not yet," said Mulan, drawing her sword. "Stand back. We have not yet decided her fate."

"Yes, we have," said Regina, removing her glove and stepping forward, bending over Cruella as if to rip out her heart. To her surprise, Robin grabbed her arm.

"Don't do this," he whispered. "You don't have to be that person anymore – you don't have to kill people."

"Robin, she's dangerous! And she'll only be more dangerous if she lives!"

"But what did you say when we defeated Zelena?" he replied. "Heroes don't kill. _That's_ who you wanted to be, and Regina, you still can."

Shame washed over her as she realized in her gut that he was right. Over the years, murder had become her go-to solution, but that didn't mean she should always listen to those instincts. Not anymore. Turning to Ursula and Maleficent, she nodded.

"Take her," she said. "Do whatever you can to save her. We won't stop you."

"Thank you," said Ursula as she and Maleficent lifted their fallen ally together. Regina wasn't sure, and maybe it was just a trick of the light, but she thought she saw genuine gratitude in the other woman's eyes.

* * *

All they could do was bandage her wounds and try to make her comfortable. Magic wouldn't work on werewolf bites; it never had. Her breathing was heavy, and three pairs of eyes looked down at her, filled with worry. Ursula gently squeezed her hand, and Maleficent pulled a blanket up over her. Even Rumple, who had always looked at her with disdain, seemed concerned. She struggled to speak, but Ursula shushed her.

"You're going to be okay," she said fiercely. "Just rest, and I promise, you'll be okay."

Her friend's words were not as comforting as they could have been, not when every breath that she took was a struggle. She felt herself growing weaker by the moment as more blood seeped into her bandages. She could not deny the truth. She was dying.

"There's something I need to tell you," she said.

"It's better if you don't speak," said Maleficent. "Don't waste your energy."

Cruella couldn't help but let out a weak, hysterical laugh.

"Please."

Ursula must have seen something in her eyes, because she nodded.

"What I said earlier – that I didn't have a story? I lied."

"What?" Maleficent seemed startled.

"Not for how I became …" she sighed. "Well, you know. A villain. I was simply the only one in my family who didn't have magic. So I went to the Dark One for help, and he trained me in a form of magic that didn't require any natural talent, just the right materials."

"Shapeshifting," said Ursula, and Cruella nodded weakly.

"But I do have a story. Just not _that_ story. Did I ever tell you how I escaped the Dark Curse?"

Both of the other women shook their heads.

"I was pregnant. The father was no one, just a fling, but the baby … I wanted the best for her, and that meant not being cursed, but it also meant … I was a fool, I suppose. I thought that I could change for my child, be a … a good person, the mother she deserved. I went to the Sorcerer's Apprentice to beg for a way to leave the Enchanted Forest and start over, and he opened a portal for me to the Land without Magic. But I was still who I always have been, and before long I was caught stealing puppies to make a fur coat. I thought that I could make my magic work in this land if only I had the right materials. The puppies' owner pressed charges, and they threw me in prison. I didn't really know what I was doing when I agreed to let my daughter be adopted – I didn't realize I'd never see her again. She's better off without me, I'm sure, and she's an adult by now anyway. But I never stopped looking for her. I need you to promise me … if I die …"

Ursula's eyes softened. "You're not going to die."

"I am."

"What do you want us to do?" asked Rumple.

"Find her. Tell her I'm sorry, and that I love her. I always have. I don't know where she is, but she'll be about the Savior's age, and she has dark hair and eyes like her father and a star shaped birthmark on her wrist. Her name is Lilith – Lily for short."

"We will," said Ursula quietly.

Bending down, she gave her old friend a kiss on the forehead.

"Please don't die," she sobbed, tears dripping down her cheeks and onto Cruella's face.

But Cruella was gone.

* * *

The text came when they were both floating just on the edge of sleep. Regina's phone lit up in the dark, and with a groan, she unlocked her screen and read the message. Her heart sank.

"It's from Maleficent," she said. "Cruella died after all."

Robin's face shifted in confusion.

"You seem upset," he murmured. "Why? Isn't that what you wanted?"

Regina couldn't quite place her feelings, but she couldn't deny that she did feel disappointed. Then it struck her.

"We gave her a chance to live," she said. "But she died anyway. Same with Zelena. Ingrid redeemed herself, but she had to die to do it. What if death is inevitable for villains?"

"Regina," Robin said her name softly, wrapping his arms around her as if he could protect her from anything. "Death _is_ inevitable, and not just for villains, but for all of us. But you're going to live a long life, and be happy and loved. I won't let it happen any other way."

She smiled and kissed him, but she couldn't quite get rid of the nagging fear in the back of her mind. Surely this was still more proof that happy endings were truly out of reach for villains.


	9. Chapter 9

Ruby woke in a hospital bed, with an awful pain in her shoulder and hazy memories of the night before. She had been running through the woods – she had wanted to strike against the Queens of Darkness, in spite of Granny's warnings. Then _she_ had been there, Cruella de Vil, with a gun in her hand. An indescribably horrible pain tearing through Ruby's, and then … nothing.

She bolted upright in bed, the realization sinking in, as the sudden motion sent a jolt of pain through her shoulder.

"What happened?" she asked aloud, panic edging into her voice.

"You were hit," said Granny, who sat at her bedside. "By a silver bullet. But some of the Merry Men found you. Don't worry – you're going to be fine."

"But … Granny, I blacked out last night. After the bullet, I don't remember a thing. Did I … what did I do?"

"You defended yourself," said Granny. "You didn't hurt anyone except the woman who was trying to hurt you."

"But … is she …"

"Dead? Yes."

Ruby's heart sank. It wasn't that she hadn't killed as the wolf before, or even that she wouldn't have killed Cruella if that was what it took to protect her loved ones. But to lose control like that … a chill ran down her spine as she realized that she could have hurt anyone last night. Even if someone had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, she had no way of knowing that she wouldn't have hurt them.

"Ruby. It's okay."

"No. It's not."

* * *

The grave was a simple one, dug by magic in the backyard of Rumple's cabin. It wasn't what the dead woman would have wanted. She would have wished for a huge event with thousands of mourners, speeches glorifying her life – or better yet, to not be dead at all. But instead, a man and two women stood around a newly planted headstone that said only:

Cruella de Vil

Friend and Mother

Ursula had insisted on those words. Others would remember her lust for power and her great capacity for cruelty, perhaps even call her a monster and be glad that she was dead. But Ursula and Maleficent would remember her as a friend and honor her dying confession about her lost daughter. She wasn't a monster to them.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Ursula sobbed. "We were supposed to have our happy endings – all of us."

"We still can," said Rumple quietly. "And we will."

"But she won't," Ursula growled through her tears. "This is the author's doing. And he is going to pay for it."

* * *

Belle was sitting in a corner of the library, pretending to read but unable to truly lose herself in the pages, when she heard him come in.

"You!" she cried, looking up from her book and glaring at him. "What are you doing here?"

He smiled awkwardly and shrugged his shoulders.

"I know we didn't exactly get off to the best start …"

"Are you joking?" demanded Belle, rising to her feet. "You broke into my library and ripped a page out of one of the books. Not the best start is a huge understatement."

"I was drunk," he said, looking down as if in embarrassment. "Look, I haven't properly introduced myself. The name's Will Scarlet. And I need your help."

Belle crossed her arms and gave him a skeptical glare.

"Look, I'm sorry. I really am. But I don't know who else to go to. I thought Robin could help, but he's just as clueless as me, and I'm not sure how much time I have left. I need your help to get back to the woman I love."

Belle felt her resolve weakening. Of all the things he could have said …

"Who is she? What happened to her?"

"Her name's Anastasia. And it's sort of a long story."

Belle beckoned for him to join her, and he started to tell his tale: how he had thought he was living happily ever after with his True Love, before everything had gone to hell. How the Jabberwocky had returned, seeking revenge against Wonderland's new King and Queen. How the White Rabbit had helped them escape, but he had fallen through the portal on his own as she was captured by the creature that still haunted both their nightmares.

"I don't even know if she's still alive," he said. "But I know she is. I can feel it, you know?"

Belle nodded sympathetically. She did know.

"Robin Hood seems to think that the storybook is important," he said. "And that the author won't let villains have happy endings. He's trying to help his Evil Queen, Regina, change that, and I need the same thing, because … well, let's just say Ana is sort of the Evil Queen type, too."

Belle frowned as she remembered what Rumple had said. _We can fix this. I know now that I need to find the author. That's why everything keeps going wrong for us … villains don't get happy endings, Belle. But we can find him and force him to change that. We can._

"You really believe that's true?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I don't see how it could not be," he replied. "Otherwise, where is our happy ending?"

Belle nodded.

"I've asked myself the same question," she said. "It's too late for me and Rumple, but maybe it's not too late for you."

"So what are we going to do?"

"I have a few ideas."

* * *

"We have to act now."

Regina was looking up at Robin with fear in her eyes, squeezing his hand as if she never wanted to let go. The two of them stood in the forest, just outside the Merry Men's camp.

"We're going to find him, Regina," he said. "I promise."

"But how long is it going to take?" frustration edged into her voice. "And how much longer do we have before the author rips us apart again? Or before I lose Henry, or before this town turns on me again? Whatever happiness I manage to find, it never lasts, and I can't keep living like this!"

He ran his fingers through her hair and vowed to himself that he wouldn't let that happen. She would have her happy ending, whatever that meant.

"We'll do whatever we have to," he assured her.

"Let's go back to the house," she said. "See if we can find any more clues. I'll see if the Charmings can meet us there."

He nodded and held her close, kissing her gently. She melted into his arms, but he couldn't ignore the tears that dripped down her face. If he had his heart, he was sure it would have broken.

* * *

It was hard to hide from Rumple, but right now there was nothing he wanted more than for Belle to stay hidden, except perhaps for her to turn around and go home. He had no doubt that he could protect her if his companions noticed her presence, but it would be better if it didn't come to that. So he pretended to have no idea she was sneaking along behind them, her and some disgraced ex-Merry Man, as they approached the author's house.

"You're sure it was her?" Maleficent asked. "The Blue Fairy?"

Ursula nodded. "She was here. I don't know why, but it must be important. Anyway, it's the best lead we've got."

"I should have known she had a hand in this," muttered Rumple. "That pesky blue flea."

The Blue Fairy would never want the Dark One to have his happy ending. No doubt she was the true power here, making certain that he was always denied what should have been his. He thought of the limitless power that could have been his if he had been able to free himself from the dagger. He thought of the woman who was currently hiding in a shrub, spying on him and his associates and no doubt thinking he hadn't noticed. Perhaps without the Blue Fairy's interference, she would never have sent him away in the first place. If he got rid of the Fairy and the author, then maybe they could have a second chance.

As Maleficent reached out to open the door, Rumple realized that they were not alone.

* * *

The door opened, and in the front entrance stood Rumple and the two Queens of Darkness. Regina looked up with an exasperated glare.

"What are you people doing here?"

"Why, the same thing as you, I would imagine," said Rumple. "We're looking for the author, of course. You did, after all, tell us where his house was."

Regina flinched, but Robin squeezed her hand.

"No, you don't get to do this," she said. "I've worked very hard for my second chance, and you do not get to come in and take your happy endings without earning them. That's not how this is going to work."

Ursula laughed.

"And you think you deserve your happy ending any more than the rest of us?"

"She does," said Robin. "She may have been a villain, but she's changed. You haven't."

Rumple raised an eyebrow, and Robin stared back almost defiantly. Regina felt for a moment as if she was missing something.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Emma's voice cut in as she ran up the front steps with Snow and David. Turning to Regina, she continued: "We had to drop Henry off – Granny's watching him – but we came as quickly as we could. What's going on?"

"We have some unexpected company," said Regina.

"Yeah, we'll see about that," Emma said with a glare.

David pulled out his gun and aimed it at Maleficent, who responded by raising her hands - not in surrender, but as if to cast a spell. A fireball formed in Regina's hand, and another in Rumple's. Robin reached for his bow and arrow. All around the room, everyone was preparing for battle.

"You really want to have this fight?" said David. "Remember – good always wins."

"No! Stop!"

Belle ran forward, pushing past the Charmings, followed by Will Scarlet. They stood in between the two factions, the heroes and villains. Belle raised her hands in a placating gesture.

"Hasn't there been enough fighting?" she asked, looking all around the room until her gaze landed on Rumple. "Hasn't there been enough tragedy? Enough heartbreak? Enough death?"

"Belle, you need to get out of here," said Rumple anxiously.

"No. You don't get to tell me what to do. And I am not going anywhere until you all lower your weapons and put away your fireballs."

"Come on," said Will Scarlet. "We all want the same thing, don't we?"

"Do we?" said Snow skeptically.

"We all want happy endings," he replied. "For ourselves, or the people we love. We all want to find the author."

"So you think we should … what? Work together?" Charming demanded.

"Why not?" said Emma, slowly lowering her gun. "We've done it before. Just like Neverland, right?"

Regina found herself nodding. The fireball in her hand flickered out. Beside her, Robin lowered his bow.

"Rumple?" Belle's voice shook when she said her husband's name. He nodded slowly and put out his ball of fire.

"Thank you."

"So what are we doing?" asked David, a hostile edge to his voice.

"The Blue Fairy was here," said Ursula. "Cruella and I saw her leaving yesterday. We think she might be connected to the author."

"Blue?" demanded Snow. "Surely she wouldn't have bad intentions!"

Rumple laughed. "That's what she wants you to think."

"We think she might have been here to do something for him," said Maleficent. "But we're not sure what."

"Well, it's a start, at least," said Robin. "Shall we?"

It was amazing how quickly enemies could become allies. Regina had seen this once before, on a beach in Neverland. It was all familiar: the lingering distrust, the urge to keep looking over her shoulder and waiting for betrayal, and yet at the same time, the feeling of being united, because even if betrayal was inevitable, for this moment they had a common goal.

She caught Rumple's eye and sent him her best Evil Queen glare. This wasn't Neverland, and they weren't true allies. As soon as the author was found, they would be at each other's throats once again.

* * *

The author couldn't fight free will. If he could, things would be very different, particularly for a certain Evil Queen. But circumstances, well, those could be manipulated. Whatever his predecessor had said about letting the natural course of action unfold – "we are to record, not to interfere" – the truth was that it was far simpler to tweak the circumstances than to try to control someone's actions.

It was only too easy to write in a star-covered box on a table when nothing had been there a moment before. To bring back a freezing curse that should have been broken with the death of the one who cast it. To make sure that an injured woman died from wounds that, if he manipulated things the other way, might not have been fatal.

All it took was ink and paper.

That was all it took to bind up hundreds of years of history, recorded by the authors who came before, and send it to the place where it was needed most to inspire belief and break a dreadful curse. "Our story will reveal itself to her", he had said to the Blue Fairy, but no one except him knew how that was to happen.

All magic came with a price. He should have remembered that. Without the storybook, no one would have even guessed at the author's existence. He could have gotten his revenge against the Evil Queen in peace – although how was he to know that the heroes would protect her?

From outside his hidden room, he heard voices. Someone was there, and as he exchanged a glance with the Blue Fairy, he realized they both knew who it was. He sat down at his writing desk like a King on his throne, and she stood across the room, wand at the ready. It was time to end this little rebellion once and for all.


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note:** Hi! First of all, thank you to all the lovely people who have read and reviewed this fic. I feel like I should let you know that we're almost at the end now. This is the last "real" chapter, and I'm working on wrapping it up in an epilogue that I'll hopefully be able to get to you soon. I've had a great time writing this, and I really hope you've enjoyed reading it.

* * *

Regina approached the wall, sensing the presence of magic. She looked back questioningly over her shoulder at the others.

"Do you feel it, too?" she asked.

Most of the group stared back in blank-faced confusion, but a few were nodding. Emma, Rumple, Ursula, Maleficent – those with magic.

"There's some sort of concealment spell," said Maleficent. "Hopefully not blood magic."

Regina shrugged.

"Well, there's only one way to find out."

Stepping forward, she gathered up a ball of fire in her hand and threw it at the wall. Nothing. The fire fizzled out as soon as it hit the wall. Regina groaned with frustration.

"Let me try," said Rumple. He approached the wall slowly, cautiously, and lifted his hand to touch it. The moment his fingertips made contact, he suddenly let out a gasp of pain as he was thrown backwards off his feet. Falling to the floor, he looked from his hand to the wall with an expression of outrage on his face.

"What kind of magic is this?" demanded Ursula, reaching out to help Rumple to his feet.

"I think I know," said Emma.

All eyes were on her.

"The author is obsessed with heroes and villains, right? So maybe the reason you can't get through is because you're in his villain column. Maybe only a hero … someone he sees as a hero …"

"Well, you're welcome to try, Ms. Swan," said Regina. "Just be careful."

Emma nodded and walked toward the wall, her hand outstretched. As she touched it, the wall dissolved, leaving only an open archway in its place and revealing a spacious hidden room. On the other side of what had once been a wall stood the Blue Fairy, and beside her, a man who none of them recognized, seated at a writing desk.

"Well, it looks like heroes are good for something after all," muttered Ursula.

The author rose from his desk and addressed the crowd.

"This doorway is enchanted," he said in a calm but powerful voice. "No villain can pass through, and nor can their magic penetrate it. I will speak to the heroes, but the villains must leave. Now."

"Not a chance," snarled Maleficent. "We're not going to leave until you give us what we want."

"Maybe this is better," Snow said, turning to Charming and Emma. "We can talk to him about Regina, convince him that she deserves a happy ending, but the others …"

"No," said Regina fiercely. "Look, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I didn't come this far to let other people decide my fate. I need to speak with him myself."

Emma nodded and exchanged a glance with Robin, who met her gaze in silent understanding. Then the two of them lunged through the archway and grabbed ahold of the author.

"You don't get to be a coward and hide behind magic and labels," Emma said as they dragged him forward across the threshold.

"They – they'll kill me!" the author gasped, his bravado gone.

"No, they won't," said Snow. "We won't let that happen. We just want to talk."

"No – stop!" The Blue Fairy cried out in protest as she, too, was shoved through the archway. "You can't do this. You're siding with the villains, Savior, and that is a dangerous path to take."

"You think I care about heroes and villains?" Emma demanded, pushing the Blue Fairy forward. "I wasn't always some perfectly pure Savior. I've done things that I shouldn't have. And the same is true of everyone here."

The author pulled himself free of Robin's grip and looked around incredulously.

"There's a difference between a villain and a hero who has made mistakes," he said. "You're supposed to be good people. Surely you don't really believe that the Evil Queen and the Dark One deserve happy endings?"

Snow opened her mouth to speak again, but Regina silenced her with a glare. She turned to the author.

"I know you don't think so," she said. "But I've really been trying. I know I was wrong, before, but I'm not that person anymore. And I know I don't _deserve_ a happy ending –"

"You most certainly do not."

"But doesn't it matter at all that I've changed?"

He didn't need to reply. His stony silence was louder than any spoken "no".

"Why do you hate me so much?" she demanded. "Why can't you even believe in the possibility that I've changed?"

"Because change is impossible for people like you," he said. "There are some things that can never be made up for."

"Don't you think I know that?" she was breaking down now, almost begging. "Don't you think I understand that better than anyone? But I can't undo what I did. All I can do now is try to atone for what I can and move forward."

"Then you need to accept that it will never be enough."

She couldn't cry in front of him – in front of all these people.

"What did she do to you?" David asked.

"That's not it," Regina said. "I've never met him before in my life."

"But you did meet my family," said the author. Regina was frozen in place at his words. She looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

"What did I do?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"What do you think? You murdered them. All of them. Even the children."

Her heart sank.

"I'm sorry," she said, forcing herself to turn and look him in the eye. "I truly am."

"And yet, your apology won't bring them back."

"That's why you're doing this, isn't it? You want me to lose the people I love. Just like you."

He nodded. There was no sympathy in his cold gaze.

"And you?" Snow's voice was furious as she addressed the Blue Fairy. "You agree with him? I thought fairies believed in second chances!"

Blue shook her head.

"Not for villains."

Snow recoiled with horror in her eyes. Looking around the room, Regina saw expressions of anger and dismay on the faces of everyone around her.

"Enough of this nonsense."

Rumple's voice came from across the room, which had somehow become divided once more, heroes on one side and villains on the other, with the author and the Blue Fairy in the middle. Rumple reached into the bag that he carried and pulled out a glowing, pulsing human heart. Regina's blood ran cold.

"Whose is that?" she demanded.

"The heart of a hero," said Rumple. As he held it up, Robin stepped forward, as if in a trance. "You didn't think your old friend really let him go, did you?"

Regina's gaze fell upon Maleficent.

"I was going to!" the dark fairy gasped. "I tried to, I swear! But they found out, and I didn't have a choice but to go along with their plan. I'm sorry!"

Regina turned away, tears pooling in her eyes.

"Let him go, Rumple. Please."

"That's not up to you anymore, dearie," he said. "I'll let him go when the author gives us our happy endings. All of us. If he refuses, well, one of his precious heroes dies." Turning to the author, he added, "What will it be?"

The author and the Blue Fairy exchanged a glance. In unison, they shook their heads.

"Never."

"Are you sure about that?" Rumple asked, squeezing Robin's heart. The outlaw let out a cry of pain and fell to his knees, clutching at his chest. Regina rushed to his side, overwhelmed by panic. Just like Daniel.

But not like Daniel.

Instead of falling to her knees beside him, she stood tall, her love for him pulsing through her own dark heart and out the palms of her hands in a jet of white light. Robin's heart fell harmlessly to the floor as Rumple, both Queens of Darkness, and even the author and the Blue Fairy were thrown backwards. Regina picked it up gently, almost reverently, hardly able to believe it was still intact.

She knelt beside Robin and pushed his heart back into his chest as tenderly as she could. He let out a gasp and looked up at her, and as she leaned down to kiss him, he reached up and wrapped his arms around her. The crowd around them almost ceased to exist.

He was safe.

He was in as much danger as ever.

She broke off the kiss, looking into his blue eyes and trying to memorize them.

"You have to go," she told him.

"What?"

"You heard the author. There is no happy ending for me, and I …" her voice broke. "I want more than that for you."

He shook his head emphatically.

"No … no …" pulling himself to his feet, he turned to the author. "Please, you have to see how much she's changed. She's not a villain anymore. Give her a chance."

The author silently shook his head.

"Those are the rules," he replied. "No matter how much you think she's changed, she will always be a villain. They all will. Do you want a happy ending for the people who took your heart?"

He glanced across the room at the Queens of Darkness, the word "no" on his lips. But then he caught sight of Maleficent helping Ursula to her feet, meeting Robin's eye with a silent apology. From the other side of the room, he saw Belle's tearful face as she watched the man she still loved no longer trusted. Suddenly, "no" felt wrong. Instead, he turned to the author with anger bubbling up inside of him.

"I want to know why they felt they had no choice," he said.

"They're villains. It's what they do."

"No," said Robin. "It was their decision, yes, but it's your fault, too. You think that you can play the judge, jury, and executioner. But the truth is, you're no better than the villains you hate so much. Much worse than some. You force changed people to suffer for of things they did a lifetime ago. You even let your precious heroes suffer if they love someone you consider unworthy. And I don't just mean myself. I'm talking about everyone here – everyone you would consider a hero. What about our happy endings?"

The author's eyes narrowed, and his next words were like a knife to Robin's heart.

"I gave you a happy ending. You had your wife back. If you're suffering, it's only because you couldn't get over the Evil Queen."

"Regina is my happy ending. I don't want one without her."

The author only laughed

"Then you won't have one."

From somewhere to the side – the heroes' side, as if that mattered to anyone but the author right now – Will Scarlet turned to Belle.

"We don't have a choice," he said. "What we talked about earlier – you have to do it."

She nodded and stepped forward, holding a circular box decorated with stars in one hand and a curved dagger in the other. Fear filled the author's eyes as she waved the dagger over the box, transforming it into a hat that seemed to contain a universe.

"I'm sorry," she said, pointing the opening of the hat in his direction

"No! You can't do this! I'm …"

Then, in a burst of light, he was gone. Just one more star in a miniature galaxy. The Blue Fairy raised her wand, a furious expression on her face.

"How dare you!" she shouted.

Maleficent smirked and sent a ball of fire soaring across the room, barely missing the Blue Fairy.

"You're outnumbered ten to one," said Emma. "And it seems like some of these people really want you dead. If I were you, I'd find a place to hide."

From where she still knelt on the ground, Regina recognized the familiar words and almost laughed. But before the Blue Fairy could flee, she was floating in the air, gasping for breath.

"I said I would have my revenge," snarled Maleficent. "And I will."

No. Regina pulled herself to her feet and approached her friend, gently placing a hand on her arm.

"Don't do this," she said.

"She is going to die for what she did to me," said Maleficent. "I need revenge. You of all people should understand that."

"I do," said Regina. "But I also know that revenge is not a happy ending. The best thing you can do is let go of your anger. Trust me on that."

Maleficent turned to look at Regina, startled, and the Blue Fairy collapsed to the floor.

"Is that really what you did?"

Regina nodded.

"And you can, too. Now that the author is gone, we can all decide our own destinies."


	11. Epilogue

**Author's Note:** Well, I guess this is it. The epilogue. I want to thank each and every one of my lovely readers and reviewers one last time. You guys are amazing!

* * *

A few hours later, about a dozen people – no longer heroes and villains, but just people – were gathered around the dining room table at the mansion that had once belonged to the author.

"This war needs to end," said Regina. "Heroes, villains – the point of all this was so that we could decide for ourselves what we want to be."

"You're really just going to let us walk away?" asked Ursula skeptically. "Get away with everything? Even after what we did to you?"

Regina sighed. "It's no worse than some of the things I've done. If I deserve a second chance, then so do you. But not without certain conditions. We can't put the people of Storybrooke in danger. So – " she exchanged a glance with Emma, who nodded. "So we're going to give you a choice."

"You can stay in Storybrooke if you want," said Emma. "If you do, you'll have to obey the law, and believe me, I will go after anyone who starts targeting innocents. But you will have a chance – a chance to start over, to be better. You don't have to be villains anymore."

"And if we want to leave?" asked Ursula.

"You're free to do that, too. But you should know that it's forever. As soon as this is over, we're going to recast the spell on the town line, and no one who leaves will be able to return."

A heavy silence hung over the group. Finally, Maleficent spoke.

"You'll really help us if we want to change?"

Regina smiled. "Of course. However we can."

"I want that," said Maleficent. "I never meant to become a villain. Maybe now that the author's gone, I can change that. Decide who I do want to be."

No one in the room could miss the spark of hope in Regina's eyes as she smiled across the table at her old friend.

"I want that, too" said Ursula. "But there's something I need to do first."

"Both of us," Maleficent cut in. "Cruella was my friend, too. We should do this together."

"What exactly is it you want to do?" David asked suspiciously.

Maleficent explained: "Before she died, Cruella told us she had a daughter who she lost a long time ago. We want to find her and give her a chance to come to Storybrooke – if you can keep the town line open long enough for that?"

"Of course," said Emma, leaning forward with interest. "Do you have any leads?"

"I just know that her name is Lily, and she has a star-shaped birthmark on her wrist."

Emma's jaw dropped.

"What?" Maleficent asked.

"I … I think I know know her," Emma murmured under her breath. "I mean, I don't know her now, but I had a friend a long time ago, as a kid … she was … look, if you need any help, finding people is kind of what I do, and …"

The two Queens of Darkness nodded.

"Of course. Thank you."

From his place further down the table, Will Scarlet interrupted.

"I know someone else who needs help."

Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"Her name's Anastasia. She used to be a villain, but she changed, and we were happy together. Until that bloody author went and messed it up, of course. Last time I saw her, she was in danger, and I need to get back to her as soon as I can. So if anyone knows of a portal to Wonderland …"

"Portals are hard to come by," said Snow. "I don't know …"

"Well, there is one right here in this house," said Rumple in his quiet voice that could capture an entire room's attention. "To Arendelle. Once you're in a magical realm, finding a mirror portal to Wonderland shouldn't be hard. In fact, I can tell you exactly where to find one"

Will gave him a suspicious look.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You can't," said Emma. "But he's telling the truth this time, about the portal to Arendelle at least. It's the same one Elsa and Anna used to get home."

Will nodded.

"Then I'll be on my way as soon as possible."

The room went quiet again.

"What are you going to do with the Blue Fairy?" Maleficent asked. "If I'm not allowed to kill her, what do you have in mind?"

"You're going to let me go and give me back my wand!" hissed the fairy, struggling against the handcuffs that Emma had slapped on her wrists. "I am the Rheul Ghorm, the oldest and most powerful force for good, and you will not disrespect me like this!"

"Can we put her back in the hat?" asked Emma, her tone dead serious.

"Sadly, no," said Rumple. "Once something is released from the hat, it can never be returned. Without access to a wand or fairy dust, she's powerless, but …"

"She's going to stay powerless," said Snow fiercely. "Once the other fairies hear what she's done, I doubt they'll be too happy. You'll lose your wings for this, Blue."

"I – but – I'm their leader! They can't!"

"Actually, they can," said Maleficent. "If the other fairies refuse to follow you – if you lose your position as their leader, which you've been so careful to hold onto all these years – whoever takes your place will be able to do to you exactly what you did to me. You were right, Regina. Killing her would have been too easy. Now this – this is revenge."

Regina frowned. Maleficent clearly had a long way to go if she truly wanted redemption. But then again, the same had once been true of Regina as well. She owed it to her old friend to give her the kind of second chance she herself had been given, and that meant accepting that she wasn't going to become a hero overnight.

There was one last thing to deal with. Regina turned to Rumple.

"And what about you?"

"Me?" Rumple blinked, as if taken aback.

"Yes, much as I'd love to let you rot in jail for what you just tried to do, you get the same choice as Ursula and Maleficent. Either commit to change for real, or get out of this town."

Her tone and words were harsh, but there was something in her eyes that was almost begging him to prove her wrong and choose redemption. Rumple opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Belle stood and approached him, reaching out to take his hand. There was sadness in her eyes, but also hope.

"This is a day for second chances," she said. "And I'm going to give you one, too."

He looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

"You will?"

"Yes," she said. "But it won't be easy. I'm not going to just ignore everything you've done, and I'm not going to stand for being lied to again. Power and magic are your weakness, and if we're going to be together, I need you to give them up."

"Belle, what are you saying?"

"I want the two of us to leave Storybrooke, and magic, behind. Forever. Leave the dagger here and cross the town line with me. We can start again, Rumple – we can find our happy ending. I love you. But you can't have both me and the dagger. So please, Rumple, choose me."

He was silent for a moment, and no one knew what he was going to say. But then he nodded and stood, embracing her. Everyone at the table wondered whether this was some kind of trick, and maybe it was. Or maybe not. Only time would tell.

Regina took Robin's hand and gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Today truly was a day for second chances.

* * *

Henry sat at the counter at Granny's, flipping through the storybook as if its pages would reveal the answer to their problems. His moms had been gone too long, and he couldn't get rid of the fear that something was wrong. What if they had gotten into a fight with the Queens of Darkness? Or worse, what if they had found the author and he had refused to write a happy ending for Regina? A thousand awful possibilities ran through his mind, and not being able to do anything about it or even know what was going on made it far worse.

All of a sudden, the door to the diner opened, and in walked Emma and Regina, both smiling. He leapt from his seat and ran to embrace them in a three way hug.

"You did it, right?" he asked excitedly, looking from one mom to the other.

"We found the author," said Regina hesitantly, and he knew from her tone that something wasn't quite right.

"What happened?"

"He wasn't too eager to give your mom a happy ending," said Emma. "But he doesn't have the power to decide that anymore."

"Is he dead?" Henry asked apprehensively.

"No, not dead," said Regina. "Just … trapped. Inside the Sorcerer's hat."

She cringed as if waiting for condemnation – how could you do that? You're evil! – but all Henry could think was that if this author was so determined to see his mom as a villain, he didn't want him in charge of her destiny.

"So there's no author now?" he asked. "There's no one controlling the story?"

"No."

"Good." He nodded. "Now we can all be the authors and write our own happy endings."

"Oh, Henry," said Regina. He could see tears pooling up in her eyes, and for once, he didn't think they were tears of sadness.

* * *

After miles of nothing but woods and empty streets, carrying Roland in her arms, Marian found herself standing at the town line. It would almost have been a relief to not be able to find it, an excuse not to cross. But this was why she had come – to find out what happened to Robin and help him however she could. Even if that meant risking a return to Storybrooke and its magic.

Up ahead, to her surprise, she saw three cars driving toward the town line. They parked there, and a strange assortment of people stepped out into the street. From the black Cadillac came Rumplestiltskin, accompanied by a woman Marian recognized from her short stay in Storybrooke as his wife, Belle. Emma Swan got out of the yellow Bug, followed by two women Marian didn't recognize. Regina exited the Mercedes. As their eyes met, the former Evil Queen's jaw dropped.

"Marian? What are you doing here?"

"Robin went missing," Marian replied. "I came to see if I could find him."

There was sadness in Regina's eyes, and for a moment, Marian feared the worst. But then Regina forced a smile.

"He's fine," she said. "He was kidnapped – " here, she paused and glared at Rumple and the two strangers " – but he's fine now. Really."

Marian hesitated.

"Can I – can I talk to him?"

"Of course."

It would be impossible to miss the painful grimace on Regina's face as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Robin's number.

"Robin? You need to get to the town line right away. Marian is here."

Turning to Marian as she hung up, she told her, "He'll be here as soon as he can."

"Thank you."

They held each other's gaze for a moment, and Marian felt a strange sort of respect for the woman whose dungeons she had once escaped from. Perhaps they would never be friends, but Robin loved her, and it was hard to deny that she had changed.

"All right," said Emma. "Belle? Rumple? Are you two ready?"

Belle stepped forward, her expression confident but solemn.

"I buried the dagger in the woods," she said. "Without any marker. No one knows where it is, not Rumple or anyone else. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure I could find it again."

"Good," said Emma. "No one should know."

"I want you to make sure the library stays open. Find a new librarian – someone who loves books as much as I do. Everything in the pawn shop – everything that was there because of the curse – can go to the people it belonged to before."

"We'll make sure of it," said Regina.

Belle nodded, her face crumpled into something between a smile and a grimace.

"Hey, you did good today," said Emma, smiling at her. "You were a hero back there. And what you're doing now is heroic, too."

"I know," said Belle. "And I know this is what I want. But still … I'll miss this place."

"We'll miss you, too," said Emma. "Good luck.

Rumple turned to Regina: "I know you don't want to hear this."

She raised an eyebrow.

"But we've known each other a long time. It seems only right that I should say goodbye."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," said Regina. She paused for a moment, as if deciding whether to speak. "You have a chance for happiness. We all do, now. I suggest you take it."

He laughed. "Are you trying to give me advice?"

"I suppose I am," she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

He nodded and turned back towards Belle.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes."

As the two of them got back in their car and drove across the town line, Emma turned to the two women beside her, pulling out her phone.

"All right," she said. "Ursula? Mal? I put my finding people skills to work and found this. Just under a week ago, a girl named Lily tweeted a picture of a star-shaped mark on her wrist. I traced her to New York. I don't have an address, but it's a starting point, at least."

"Thank you," said Ursula. "Really. I know you don't have to do this."

Emma smiled.

"Don't get me wrong," she said. "I want to help you. But I'm doing this for me, too."

"She was your friend," said Maleficent, nodding. "It really is a small world, isn't it?"

As the three women shared a laugh, another car pulled up. The door opened, and out stepped Robin.

"Marian!" he shouted, jogging toward the town line. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you were all right," she explained. It hurt to see him, knowing what she was going to have to say.

"I was –"

"I know. Regina already told me."

"Oh."

An awkward silence hung over them. Finally, Robin broke it.

"Listen … Marian … I need to tell you something."

"I know."

She smiled, but there was no joy in it.

"You love Regina," she said calmly. "You want to stay here with her."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," said Marian. "I don't want to be with you if your heart is elsewhere. So stay with her. Find your happy ending. Now that I know you're safe, I can leave and find mine."

"Marian …" Robin hesitated. "They're going to close the town line again, as soon as Emma and the … ah … Queens of Darkness get back. We won't be able to see each other."

"Maybe that's best," she replied. "A clean break. A fresh start, for both of us. Take care of Roland."

Robin looked taken aback.

"He's your son."

"And yours. You raised him when you thought I was dead. You've been his father for far longer than I've been his mother, and when he had nightmares while you were away, it was you he cried out for. Don't think for a moment this doesn't break my heart, but if we have to decide, there's really only one choice to make."

"Mama?" said Roland, looking up at her. "What's going on?"

"You're going to go with daddy now, sweetheart."

"Will I see you again?"

She opened her mouth to say no, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, she said, "Maybe someday." After all, who could say that they wouldn't?

With Roland in his father's arms, Marian turned to leave, but before she could, a voice spoke up from behind her.

"Where are you going?" asked Emma.

"New York, why?"

"If you need a ride, that's where we're headed, too."

* * *

A week later, the strange quartet of the Savior, the Sea Witch, Maleficent, and Lilith de Vil drove back over the town line into Storybrooke.

"This is it?" Lily asked curiously, peering out the window. "And there's really magic here?"

"Yeah," said Emma, taking her eyes off the road for a moment to exchange a glance with her childhood friend. "Just like Harry Potter, right?"

Lily shrugged awkwardly.

"It sounds like you really are like Harry Potter," she said. "The Savior and all. I'm …"

"You're Lily," said Emma. "And you're one of us. That's all that matters."

The two women smiled at each other.

"Hey!" shouted Ursula from the backseat as the car swerved dangerously. "Eyes on the road!"

"Sorry."

"This is worse than having Cruella behind the wheel," Ursula muttered to Maleficent.

Lily smiled as the town unfolded before her, almost daring to hope that she had finally found the place she belonged. Maybe she was too old for Hogwarts now, but it seemed like no one was too old to find a home in Storybrooke.

* * *

Regina blinked sleepily. Robin was already asleep, one arm wrapped around her. Sleeping beside him was a new feeling – not sleeping _with_ him, because he certainly wasn't her first partner in that sense, but falling asleep by his side, wrapped up in his arms, and knowing he would be there when she woke, was strange and new to the woman who had for so long spent every night alone, with her arms crossed and her hand ready to make a fireball at a moment's notice. In a way, she felt far more vulnerable like this, drifting off to sleep in her soul mate's arms, than she did at any other time.

Cora had believed that love was weakness, and maybe she had been right. But Regina would gladly make herself weak for love.

Smiling, she touched her hand to his bare chest and felt his heartbeat beneath his skin, strong and steady, a protective spell now shielding it. No one, she vowed to herself, would touch his heart ever again. As for her own, it had suffered heartbreak times over, but time and love could heal even broken hearts.

* * *

**One last author's note:** I'm thinking of writing a oneshot from Lily's POV, telling the story of how they found her and convinced her to come to Storybrooke. Let me know if you'd be interested :). And again, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.


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